House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs: Legislative Hearing

Good morning, everyone. The Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs will come to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to hear testimony on the bills before us this morning. Under Committee Rule 4, any oral opening statements at hearings are limited to the chair and to the ranking minority member. I therefore ask unanimous consent that all other members' opening statements be made part of the hearing record if they are submitted in accordance with Committee Rule 3.0.

Without objection, so ordered. Ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Alaska, Mr. Begich, be allowed to sit and participate in today's hearing. Without objection, so ordered. I will now recognize myself for an opening statement. Good morning again, everyone, and thank you so much for being here today.

I want to start today's hearing by highlighting some of this subcommittee's legislative successes in the 119th Congress. This Congress, the Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee has held legislative hearings on 35 bills, of which 26 were subsequently favorably reported by the Natural Resources Committee, and the House of Representatives has passed 25 of them. Perhaps most importantly, 6 of the bills advanced by this subcommittee have been signed into law. The Natural Resources Committee has been the most productive committee in the House of Representatives this Congress, and this subcommittee's work accounts for more than a quarter of the Committee on Natural Resources bills signed into law this Congress. Now, remarkably, of the 6 bills from this subcommittee signed into law, 4 were sponsored by my colleague, Representative Nick Begich.

As a testament to his fierce advocacy on behalf of the people of Alaska, Mr. Begich has actually had the most bills signed into law of all freshman members in the 119th Congress and actually learned last night that he actually has the record for the most bills passed into law by any freshman member of Congress ever in the history of our country. So congratulations, Mr. Begich. That is a tremendous testament to you and the work that you're doing on behalf of the people of Alaska. The issues before this subcommittee directly affect the health, well-being, and way of life of millions of Americans who are tribal members who reside in the insular areas of the United States. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs, I've worked to put the issues most important to tribes, Alaska Natives, the U.S. territories, and the freely associated states at the forefront of this subcommittee's agenda.

And I'm proud of the successes and cooperation that we've had together this Congress. Today, the subcommittee will consider H.R. 8674, A bill sponsored by Mr. Begich to honor federal commitments to Alaska Native communities, H.R. 8674, Would direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey approximately 21,500 acres of land within Denali National Park and Preserve to the Alaska Native Corporation Doyaan Limited. Under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, or ANCSA, Aboriginal Alaskan land claims were settled.

ANCS, or ANCs, were created to receive federal settlement payments and authorized to select land to be transferred to them from the federal government. Doyin Limited was created as one of the 12 regional ANCs in Alaska. Among the lands Doyin selected under ANCSA was the Geese House site, a place of sacred cultural and historical significance to Alaska Natives. In the Doyin region. Doyin has prioritized consolidating culturally significant and ancestral lands.

However, the current location of Geese House within the boundaries of Denali National Park and Preserve complicates that goal, even though Doyin's selection of the Geese House site predates the land's inclusion in the national park. Mr. Begich's bill would restore ownership of these lands to the Alaska Native community, that has held them sacred and significant since time immemorial. And I appreciate his continued advocacy on behalf of his constituents. Also on our agenda this morning is H.R. 7269, Introduced by Representative Randall of Washington, which would amend the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Act of 1989 to allow the Puyallup Tribe to manage its settlement trust fund.

The Puyallup Tribe of Indian Settlement Act of 1989 restored 1,000 acres of land to the tribe and established a permanent trust fund to support essential social services for tribal members. The tribe has the resources, it has the experience, it has the training to manage its trust fund. However, current law does not authorize it to do so. H.R. 7269 Supports tribal sovereignty for the tribe by amending the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Act of 1989 to empower the tribe to assume management responsibility for its trust fund.

The bills before the subcommittee reflect our continued efforts to support tribal self-determination, preserve tribal cultural values, and improve the quality of life in tribal and Alaska Native communities. I want to thank both of our witnesses. For being here today. I want to thank my colleagues as well on this dais for staying here today and this morning to be here at this subcommittee hearing. And I look forward to hearing from our witnesses and their expertise on the topics under consideration and for a productive discussion.

With that, the chair now recognizes the ranking member of the subcommittee for her opening statement, Ms. Leticia Fernandez. Thank you so much, Chairman Hurd. And how could I not be here? We have witnesses who traveled through many time zones and probably had to change planes several times to get here from Alaska and from Seattle. And this committee hearing is exactly what my chairman said, which is it's a place where we can work on bipartisan legislation to get things done.

To right the wrongs of the past, the injustices of the past, and set us on a good, you know, where we should go. And so I congratulate Mr. Bigich for bringing these bills. I congratulate Representative Randall for her bill. But I must say, this is the problem, is that when we cancel votes, when we cancel weeks congressional legislative session, we can't get to these important bipartisan bills, which are incredibly, incredibly important for the communities that travel here to testify, that have been waiting for this legislation to get a hearing. I have legislation that would protect cultural sites, sensitive information from FOIA requests.

I think you talk to any tribe anywhere and they say, that's really important. We don't want this information to get out there because then our sacred sites, the sensitive sites get raided, get looted. This would be a bipartisan effort. I'd love to get it heard, but we don't have— we lost 2 more weeks in September. So I think that that's like a really important thing.

And I really want to thank you. For holding the hearing even though we're not in session today. So I want to thank you and I want to thank our sponsors and our witnesses. And we will hopefully get back in November and, you know, cram the session, right? Have really long— I'm willing to have really long hearings, Mr. Chairman, so we can get to the bills that we weren't able to, including my bill, the 6206, Protect Culture and Sensitivity.

Native Information Act. But these bills today are good bills, right? The Helping Our People Act, which Representative Brantley introduced, promoting self-determination and highlighting this subcommittee's role in upholding the sacred trust responsibility we owe to tribes. When Congress passed the Puyallup Tribe Settlement Act in 1989, it intended to provide vital services to their community and correct injustices the tribe experienced after the lands were taken or illegally sold. However, the settlement didn't provide a clear mechanism for the tribe to assume management over the settlement fund.

All these years later, there is not enough funding for the tribe's important social programs. Representative Randall's legislation would amend the Tribe Settlement Act. It would give the tribe the authority to withdraw and manage their trust fund account under a secretarial approved plan, just like other federally recognized tribes can. And next on the agenda, we have Representative Begich's, uh, HR 8674. And thank you again for traveling from Alaska to testify on this act.

Dorian Limited selected the Geese House site for conveyance under ANCSA, but the lands ended up within the boundaries of Denali National Park and were never conveyed. Gii's House is a natural rock formation which hopefully we will all get to see someday, and it has historical, traditional, and strong cultural ties for the Athabascan people. HR 8674 would convey this land to Doyon Limited. It makes clear that the lands could not be used for mining or mineral activity or developed in any way that would harm the cultural value of Gii's House. The site is located adjacent to other lands conveyed to Doyon and would be managed in a consistent manner to preserve to preserve the cultural value and significance of the sites.

Both bills, as I noticed, would have significant impact, favorable impact, on their tribal communities. I look forward to learning more about the history of these issues, hearing your testimony, and listening to the questions of my fellow members. And with that, Mr. Chair, I yield back. The gentlewoman yields.

At this time, the chair recognizes the gentleman from Alaska, Mr. Begich, for 5 minutes to speak on his legislation. Mr. Begich. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And let me just say before I begin, nothing happens in the House in a vacuum.

This body is— requires team effort. And I want to thank Chairman Hurd and the committee staff and the ranking member. Ms. Leger Fernandez, and the minority for working with us in a bipartisan fashion on advancing bills that are important to Alaska and Alaska Native peoples. Thank you for all of your support in this Congress. We would not be able to, to move these things without you.

So thank you for that. With respect to the bill, Mr. Chairman, 48 years ago, Doyon Limited selected the Geese House site a sacred rock formation at the heart of Interior Alaska, for conveyance under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Doyon shareholders identified this place as one of only a handful of physically defined cultural sites important enough to select by name. They have been waiting ever since. The Geese House site is not a building.

It is a grotto of ochre-colored stone sacred to the Alaska rather the Athabascan people of the Doyon Region, tied to Native oral traditions stretching back many generations. When Congress expanded Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980, it inadvertently swallowed these lands that had already been selected, and the conveyance to Doyon has been stuck in federal limbo ever since. Through the 1980s, the 1990s, two administrative attempts at Interior, and now nearly half a century. HR 8674 finishes the job. It directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey these 21,578 acres to Doyon within 1 year, counting toward Doyon's still unfulfilled ANCSA entitlement.

The bill bars mining or mineral development on the site, bars any transfer outside of the federal government, and bars any use that would diminish the site's cultural significance. The bill is not controversial. Carries the support of the Tanana Chiefs Conference and every village corporation and tribal government in the region. Senator Murkowski and Senator Sullivan have introduced identical legislation in the Senate, and the Department of the Interior has already testified in support of that companion bill. Mr. Chairman, it's time to get this done.

I urge my colleagues to support 8674 and finally return Geese House to the people who have called it sacred for generations. And with that, I yield back. The gentleman from Alaska yields. At this time, the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the state of Washington, Ms. Randall, for 5 minutes. Ms. Randall.

Thank you so much, Chairman Hurd and Ranking Member Leger Fernandez. I'm so happy to appear before the subcommittee today in support of my bill, H.R. 7269, The Helping Our People Act of 2026. The Puyallup people speak Lushootseed, a Coast Salish language. And the bill's title in Lushootseed is Kwah-what-ee-sh-ee-shut.

This legislation would allow the Puyallup Tribe to directly manage and invest the $22 million permanent trust fund created under the settlement. The Puyallup Tribe is a federally recognized tribe located in Pierce County, Washington, and is a signatory of the Treaty of Medicine Creek. The Puyallup— like so many nations, the Puyallup Tribe fought against illegal sales and theft of its land, including by acts of Congress. The tribe defended its title to the bed of the Puyallup River and adjacent lands, and the tribe won, giving rise to a historic settlement agreement between 12 parties. These 12 parties include the tribe, the City of Tacoma, the Port of Tacoma, the State of Washington, and the federal government.

And as a result, Congress enacted the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Act of 1989. The Settlement Act, as you have heard, restored nearly 1,000 acres of land and created a $22 million permanent trust for tribal members, with the income intended to support essential social services. The act established a trust fund board to manage the trust. But at the time of the original act, federal law did not yet provide a pathway for tribal self-management of trust funds. Although established with good intentions, the tribe has experienced unnecessary costs, burdens, and limited effectiveness since the establishment of the Trust Fund Board.

With the passage of the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994, there now exists a pathway for tribes to manage trust settlement funds. Now is the time— I mean, it could have been in 1994, but now is the time to provide an amendment to the Settlement Act and allow the Puyallup Tribe to build their economic Diversification and growth. This act would convert the fund into an endowment that the tribe can use to support services they've chosen, including education, social services, and other priorities that directly benefit the Puyallup people. That's why this bill is named the Helping Our People Act. This bill is about tribal sovereignty, the ability of tribal nations to determine how best to manage its funds.

Let's all remember that tribal sovereignty is not a gift from the federal government. It is inherent to the treaties we made and signed with tribal nations. This bill puts Puyallup where it belongs, in the driver's seat. Chairman Herd, thank you again for the opportunity for this bill to be heard. I'll get a chance to introduce the tribe's witness later, my friend Councilwoman Bryan, and I look forward to her testimony.

With that, I yield. The gentleman from Washington yields. At this time, we will move to the testimony phase of our hearing, and I'm going to ask my colleagues to introduce their witnesses, starting with the gentleman from Alaska. The chair now recognizes Mr. Begich for 30 seconds to introduce the witness from his district. Mr. Begich.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is my privilege to introduce Ms. Sarah Obed, senior vice president of external affairs for Doyon Limited and an Athabascan shareholder and tribal member from the village of Mentow, Alaska. Doyon is the largest private landowner in Alaska with an ANCSA land entitlement of more than 12 million acres stretching from the Brooks Range to the Alaska Range. Ms. Obed represents Doyon's more than 20,700 shareholders, and she has been a leading voice in the effort to finally secure conveyance of the Geese House site, work that has included years of consultation with the National Park Service and with the tribes and village corporations of Interior Alaska.

Ms. Obed brings both a professional and a personal stake to this hearing. Her family's ties to this effort run deep. Doyon Elder Hank Ketzler, Sr., of Ninanna, whose own family helped raise Ms. Obed's grandfather, Walter Titus of Mentoe, was, together with Al Star, Sr., of Tanana, among the last Doyon representatives able to visit the site in 1982. It's no surprise that she has been a tireless advocate on this issue. I look forward to her testimony on why this legislation matters to the Native people of the Doyon region and I welcome her to the committee.

With that, I yield back. The gentleman yields. At this time, the chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington, Ms. Randall, for 30 seconds to introduce the witness from her district. Ms. Randall. Thank you again, Mr.

Chair. It's an honor to introduce Councilwoman Annette Bryan. Councilwoman Bryan has come before the subcommittee to speak on H.R. 7269, The Helping Our People Act. And as background, Councilwoman Bryan is a citizen of the Puyallup Tribe, whose people have lived along the shores of the Salish Sea in Washington State for thousands of years.

She's serving in her second term as a tribal council member, but her experience includes 10 years as the tribal coordinator at the EPA and 10 years as executive director of the Puyallup Nation Housing Authority. She's held various positions with the Puyallup Tribe, from historic preservation to election protection to affordable housing. And Councilwoman Bryan is deeply committed to Puyallup culture and traditions. She's a powwow dancer, a weaver and gatherer, and she speaks some of the language. She has dedicated her career to advocacy for her tribe and for Native people everywhere.

She's an incredible woman, and I'm truly honored to call her a friend. Councilwoman Bryan, welcome to the Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee. Thank you for traveling so far across the country to be here to speak on this bill. I yield. Chairman O'Neill, I would like to reiterate what my colleague said about our appreciation for you traveling across country to be here this morning.

Under our committee rules, we would ask you to limit your opening statement to 5 minutes, but your entire statement will appear in the hearing record. To begin your testimony, I think both of you— we spoke before the hearing started. I think both of you said you've testified before, which is terrific. Um, it's not rocket science. There's a talk button in front of you.

When you're ready to speak or answer a question, just press that talk button. We do use timing lights— green means you can begin and start speaking. When you have 1 minute left, the light will turn yellow, and when the light turns red, we would ask that you please either wrap up your statement or your answer to the question as quickly as possible. I'm also going to allow both of you to testify before we start member questions. So if you're ready, I think we're ready, and Ms. Obed, you are recognized for 5 minutes for your opening statement.

Mendochna hushrun. Good morning. My name is Sarah Obed, and as Mr. Begich said, I'm Athabascan shareholder and a tribal member from Minto. And I serve as the Senior Vice President of External Affairs for Doyon Ltd., and I'm here on behalf of Doyon Ltd., our board of directors, and our over 20,000 shareholders and employees, and this testimony is a statement of support for H.R. 8674, The Geese House Conveyance Act.

Doyaan is the Regional Corporation for Interior Alaska, and we are the largest private landowner in Alaska with a land entitlement under ANCSA of more than 12 million acres. And today I want to speak specifically about our lands, including the area covering the original ANCSA 14H8 land selections near Lake Minchumina that include what is known as the Geese House or Duck House site. HR 8674 would complete a long-pending ANCSA conveyance by directing the Secretary of Interior to convey this historic Geese House site. These lands selected by Doyon in 1978 subject to certain restrictions on alienation and use and development consistent with ensuring the protection of these important cultural sites under Doyon's ownership and management. As such, Doyon Limited is a strong supporter of this introduction and passage of this legislation authorizing the conveyance of these lands back to the indigenous people of Alaska's interior.

We extend a statement of gratitude to the National Park Service. Over the past several years, Doyon and the National Park Service have worked together to engage in tribal consultation with Athabascan tribes across Alaska's interior relating to the future of the Geese House site. Tribes who have expressed their support for what we are doing. Two years ago, together with the Denali National Park and Preserve leadership, we traveled to the site. And just last week, I went to the opening of the Denali Park Road Pretty Rocks Bridge to witness the opening of that engineering marvel.

And individual rangers approached and spoke to me of their support for the conveyance of the historical, cultural, and sacred site. Their words and actions of support have been very meaningful to me, and without them, we would not have been able to advance the bill. During my trip to Denali to visit the Park Road Bridge, I learned that Denali Park was one of the few parks where you couldn't tell from space where the boundary ended on the backside of the park, unlike many other parks across the nation where the NPS boundary means a clear difference in the ecology of the lands around them. Imagine that. I felt pride knowing that it was Doyaan's lands, along with other federal lands that lay along those boundaries.

Doyaan also extends a statement of thanks, anabasi, to each of the tribes and village corporations that have passed resolutions and expressed support for this bill's passage. We also pray for its passage. As my cousin David Ingalls, a known Kanaga language cultural bearer and historian, has noted, sis, the place you visited is a place of deep and sacred significance to our people. To this day, I'm not even sure how he knew I went out there when he said that to me. Hank Ketzler, Sr. of Ninana, whose family helped raise my grandfather, Walter Titus Aminto, along with Al Star, Sr. of Tanana, were elder representatives of Doyon who last visited the site in 1982.

That was a trip coordinated together between Doyon and the National Park Service. These were the last Doyon representatives able to reach the site until that 2024 visit. When a delegation of us from Doyon traveled again with the National Park Service. Back then in the '80s, the Doyon Limited Board of Directors funded studies to gather information on Native historic and cemetery sites in the Doyon region in order to ensure that those places important to the people of the Doyon region that were not located on village or regional lands receive appropriate recognition and protection.

Protection. Geese House fell into that category, and it was identified by Al Star Sr. Um, Geese House played an important part in the Native oral tradition of the Upper Kantiishna region in the past and is still a considerable interest to the Native residents today. And so this bill, if— when passed, will convey those lands back to Doyon. And that is why we're here in support of it today.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Wonderful. Thank you very much, Miss Obed. Your timing was perfect.

It's now my pleasure to recognize Councilwoman Bryan for 5 minutes. Councilwoman Bryan.

Haxla hail, Annette Bryan seats da, spialapovs chud. Good morning. My name is Annette Bryan, and I'm serving on my 4th term as Puyallup Tribal Council member. Thank you, Chairman Herd and ranking member Rep. Leger Fernandez for the opportunity to testify on H.R. 7269, Kwakwadishish Kwakwadishishish Act, or Helping Our People Act.

I also thank Congresswoman Randall and Congresswoman Strickland for introducing and supporting this bill and your unwavering support of the tribe. The Puyallup Tribe is a signatory to the Treaty of Medicine Creek. The treaty and later executive orders established approximately 20,000-acre reservation as our permanent homeland. Yet within the next 50 years after that, the treaty— after the treaty being signed, most of our land was taken from us. In 1983, a federal court confirmed the tribe's title to the bed of the Puyallup River and adjacent lands within the city of Tacoma.

That decision led to a historic settlement along 12— among 12 parties, including the tribe, the City and Port of Tacoma, the State of Washington, and the federal government. Congress enacted that agreement in the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Act. A central part of the Settlement Act was the $22 million permanent trust fund for tribal members. Its income was intended to support this essential social services while the principal would remain intact. The act placed the administration of the fund with a separate board of trustees rather than the Puyallup government.

Today, the income generated by the Federally Invested Trust Fund has declined so significantly that much of it's consumed by the board's operating costs. Too little reaches tribal members. Maintaining a separate administrative structure also duplicates the work of the tribe's experienced and well-trained government staff. In fact, the tribe has absorbed many of the programs that the fund used to pay for. Although the Settlement Act allows the board to dissolve it, it does not allow a way for tribal government to assume the management of this fund.

The tribe did seek to withdraw the fund pursuant to the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act, but the Department of Interior concluded that because the Settlement Act was enacted before the Trust Fund Management Reform Act, this was not available to us. The result is that the Puyallup Tribe cannot pursue the same self-determination opportunities that Congress made available to other federally recognized tribes. H.R. 7269 Provides a straightforward solution. It allows the tribe to seek withdrawal and management of the trust fund under a plan approved by the Secretary of Interior and consistent with the 1994 Trust Fund Management Reform Act.

This bill doesn't automatically transfer the fund, approve a management plan, request new funding, or expand entitlements. The tribe would still have to satisfy the same federal review and approval standards that apply to other federally recognized tribes. If approved, the tribe intends to establish a professionally managed endowment providing stable, long-term support for education, social services, and other core programs that affirms our self-determination and improves the welfare of our members. This approach reflects the tribe's strong record of financial stewardship protects the purpose of the settlement and aligns the act with current federal trust management policy. The bill also confirms that the Puyallup Tribe may participate on the same basis as other federally recognized tribes in generally applicable federal programs enacted after the Settlement Act.

The settlement was never intended to leave our tribe outside of acts of Congress simply because our act came first. The non-tribal parties to the settlement, have been informed of the tribe's approach to the permanent trust fund and support this legislation. I ask that their letters of support be included in this hearing record. Since the enactment of the Settlement Act, the Puyallup Tribe has built the governmental capacity, professional expertise, and financial integrity needed to serve our members. It is time that the tribe is allowed to seek approval to manage these resources so we can once again provide meaningful and lasting benefits to our people.

I thank you for the opportunity to testify, and I urge the committee to support HR 7269, and I'd be pleased to answer any questions. Hee sko hey sheba. Thank you, Council Member Bryan. Without objection, those materials will be considered part of the record. This time, the chair is going to recognize members for questions.

5 Minutes each, and I'm going to start by recognizing myself. Ms. Obed, thank you so much again for coming all the way across the country to testify before our subcommittee today. Could you explain the cultural significance of the Geese House site to the Native Athabascan people?

I will try. I think there's a— some of it is in antiquity. I think There are some origin stories around the site. I know that previously there were ochre paintings at the site that are not there anymore that have not been preserved. So in some ways, I don't know if I can convey all of what is so special about the site.

And in some ways I can say that those things are important to continue to share with our people. It's called Geese House site because there are story, origin stories about the site that might be found across many cultures, including the raven painting the loon. That is an origin story that is found in our region that might be found in other Indigenous cultures as well that took place at the Geese House site.

And then those sacred paintings there as well took place. There was a lot of different people in our region that used the site too as a place of refuge. It's kind of a large amphitheater, has three sides, if you will. And so in traveling, it, it provided a place of safety. So as Mr. Begich has noted, it is not a man-made structure.

It's found on a cliff on a hillside, and it's basically like three sides, if you will. And so it's a natural place of safety that's has been provided for people who really were hunters and gatherers. And so it is a place of, of refuge, if you will. Great. Thank you.

And my understanding is there's no practical public access to the Geese House site and it generally receives no public visitation. Is that correct? That is correct. When we went out there 2 years ago, we went by helicopter. It's nowhere near the front portion of the Denali National Park.

It's nowhere near the road. And so it's very remote. It's on a remote outer corner of the Denali National Park on the backside of the road. The people who traditionally used it, it was really near closest to Lake Minchumina, if you will. And so access to it would be like by the lake and then hike You would have to hike, hike up to it.

So the shareholders that are wanting to access it would either need to travel by air or through a very long hike. That is correct. Got it. Thank you. Council Member Bryan, quick question.

Can you tell us, how did the funds decline so significantly, the original funds? What was, what was the reason for that? It's the way that the funds are invested so that the federal— the way that the interest rate is set up in the trust fund, it's not gaining any interest anymore. And so an example of programs that used to fund was we would buy—. Is that—.

Was never that much, but it used to fund car seats and baby blankets for newborns. And we did elders to— or stipend elders for elders over 60. And we also provided stipends for members who were in college. Those are some of the programs. And I think we did a small business grant through that trust fund as well.

The tribe actually funds those now. So, we need to manage it in-house. We have really good qualified eligible tribal members who are doing an amazing job. One example is they took the children's trust that we had, in an old trust, and it was earning like the federal interest rate. We moved it to a Goldman Sachs account and are managing that trust, and it's making money for our children.

So we want to take this $22 million and manage it in a way with keeping the core principle intact and still going through the Indian Trust Management Act, guidelines and using the interest then to provide programs. And we're currently doing a community needs assessment. We just met with the consultants this week. They're digging into all the data and going to survey our community members and figure out what some of our unmet needs might be. And with that, uh, these funds, we can provide that programming for those unmet needs.

Thank you, Council Member Bryan, for that information. I appreciate it. I see that my time has expired at this time. I would now recognize the ranking member of the subcommittee, the gentleman from the state of New Mexico, Ms. Leger Fernandez, for 5 minutes. Thank you very much, Chairman.

And I think maybe I'll go backwards. And Councilwoman Bryan, I think you gave a good example of how the tribe actually has expertise already in this, and it has set out a system and a framework for how this could work. And other tribes are doing this across the country. Can you explain why it is so important to make sure we transfer this kind of management authority over what is, in essence, your own money to the tribe to allow it to make decisions as to its future for its children and its financial stability? Yes.

Thank you for the question. Well, self-determination means that the tribe runs programs for itself. And we have amazing capacity. I just want to take a moment to, you know, recognize that our CFO is a Puyallup tribal member. We have attorneys on staff who are Puyallup tribal members, and we have a great team of people who are passionate about the welfare of the next generations.

With this trust sitting the way that it's currently being invested, it's really not functional. It's not doing anything. We're grateful for it, and it, it has served a purpose in the past, but right now we don't even pay the salary for the trust board to function. So we really need to bring this in-house. Again, maintaining the core principle, we will apply for this trust under the Indian Trust Management Act.

We will go through the Department of Interior with all the guidelines in place. And set up a trust that actually functions for our tribe the way that we see fit. Thank you very much. And I've gone through that process and it's not an easy one. So I know it will be thorough and I wish you great success once we pass this legislation.

And I also notice that the bill allows the— your tribe to be treated as other tribes on many and on many areas. And I think that that's important. We, we take that up a lot in this committee where Sometimes old settlements, they get interpreted in a way that is limiting. So I appreciate that. Ms. Obed, your testimony where you describe that your members of your tribe had not been able to visit the site for decades, yet this is the place of such cultural significance, a place where your ancestors must be buried, a place that might be of significance to people across the continent, you know, Athabascans are now live in New Mexico and throughout the Southwest.

What does it feel like to know that you are on the cusp of being able to say this place that is of us will be now available to us?

Well, I'm a feeler. It feels wonderful. And I'm really grateful to the committee for holding this here sharing, and for this bill's introduction. Thank you, Mr. Begich. And I'm really looking forward to its passage and to its conveyance.

And I really, you know, it's been a long road to get to this place today in terms of partnering with multiple administrations, working on it administratively with the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service. And really one of Doyon's management goals is to be able to bring Athabascan people out there on a more regular basis and to see and share that place with our own people. And I think, Chairman, your question about the fact that this is not someplace that has been heavily used by others but is is really of greater significance to your people and perhaps any others in facilitating that access. There doesn't seem to be any strong opposition to this. I read the testimony about National Park Service employees being supportive of this, and I, I think it sounds like you've done the hard work to gain support from all, all the people involved, which is the best way to do this work.

We spent a lot of work engaging in education and awareness across many different constituent groups, especially as the— introducing a bill is such a public process. So ensuring buy-in across many different stakeholder groups and again working with the public and working with the National Park Service. It was important, important to us to do that. Thank you. And my time has expired and I yield back.

Gentleman yields. At this time, the chair recognizes the gentleman from the state of Alaska, Mr. Begich, for 5 minutes of questions. Mr. Begich. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Ms. Obed, H.R. 8674 Bars mining, bars transfer to anyone but the federal government, and bars any development that would diminish the Geese Houses site's cultural significance. Can you explain how Doyon intends to manage and protect this site once it is conveyed, and why Doyon, rather than continued federal management, is best positioned to be its steward for future generations of shareholders?

Those are conditions of the bill that Doyon agreed to readily.

Those conditions, I think, are ensure conveyance. I think one, Doyaan manages our lands much like the Bureau of Land Management. We engage in mining in some areas of our lands. We engage in carbon offsets in other areas of our lands. We engage in subsistence hunting and fishing in other areas of our lands for our shareholders and forestry management.

And then we have sacred areas as well. And so this would be one of those areas.

So with 12 million acres of lands, Doyon has management plans for all of our lands, including hunting, fishing, trespass management, And then access really is providing access and education for our shareholders to this site would be important. It's very remote, so I think funding opportunities for shareholders, for Doyon to fund opportunities, and then preservation and protection I think would be important. Just even some minor clearing of trees inside that amphitheater would be important. A lot of the growth inside of the amphitheater happened around the site, and so just, just a little bit of access and protection around the site would be important for Goyaan. So pretty light touch, if you will, but some access for our people to get there as well.

And I think it's so important, as you mentioned in your opening remarks, for us to remember that The current management status has allowed some of that overgrowth to occur. We have lost or are losing much of the cultural hallmarks of the site with respect to the paintings that were there. Obviously, it will be in Doyon's interest to preserve any additional archaeological discoveries or cultural discoveries that you'll make when you're able to access land. And so I think that's fantastic. One more additional question: your testimony notes that hundreds of thousands of acres of Doi Yon's Angsa entitlement remain unconveyed more than 50 years after the settlement, and that some of these, like Geese House, now require congressional action to resolve.

What lessons, in your view, should this committee take from the Geese House experience as it looks at the remaining backlog of unresolved Alaska Native land selections? And what would you ask Congress, Congress to prioritize next? That's so— first of all, that's correct around the clearing and the protection of the site. Second of all, in terms of prioritizing ANCSA, 50 years now after the passage of ANCSA, All of the easy lands have been conveyed. It all comes out of federal ownership, right?

It all goes from federal ownership to these private land-owning corporations that our people own. And all of the easy, low-hanging fruit, all of those lands have been conveyed. And so what's left now are the challenging components of ANCLA. And what we're left with are the harder— we've now gotten to the pieces where these things now require additional survey work, additional— from the BLM, the Bureau of Land Management is responsible for doing the survey work. And so are they appropriately resourced?

And then, or it requires legislation from Congress. And so to kind of complete those outstanding entitlements, and there's 12 land-owning regional corporations and over 200 village corporations that may still have land entitlements. It would be nice to get those completed. There's still work to be done. And I think you have commitment from the Alaska Native community to finalize those land conveyances.

Um, very good. Well, I appreciate that, um, response. We are prioritizing it. We're doing so in conjunction with our Alaska Native stakeholders. And before I yield, I just want to compliment you on a sophisticated, uh, process-driven land management plan.

It's clear that, uh, that your organization, Doyon Limited, has made land management a core priority. And with that, I yield back. Great. The gentleman yields. At this time, the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the state of Washington, Ms. Randall, for 5 minutes.

Ms. Randall. Thank you again so much, Councilwoman Bryan, and apologies for getting your tenure wrong. We must have been using an old bio. You mentioned some of the good work that the Trust has done historically. Some of the things that you hope to do.

You also mentioned this current ongoing community needs assessment to be able to identify new opportunities. I wonder if we could pull up to a little higher level to give you a moment to brag a little bit more about some of the work that Puyallup has been able to do that the tribe is doing for members and for community. There's— you're making such an impact. On the natural resources, on the health of people. And I'd love you to get a chance to tell us a little bit about what you're most proud of.

Thank you for the question. And I wasn't expecting this, so I'll go off the top of my head. I'm very proud of the work that the tribe has done. We are just developing capacity at light speeds and We do things like fish hatcheries. We have several fish hatcheries.

We put millions of fish back into the water systems where we live. Protecting our natural resources is the number one thing that we do. And then protecting the health and welfare and safety of our people is also our highest priority. And we do that through providing education. We pay for all education for any tribal member who wants to get educated in any field, vocation, or a college.

We also have an elders facility where we provide assisted living to our elders. We have 22 rooms for that right now, and we just had a discussion this week about expanding those services. We also have a school, K through 12, where we provide a culturally appropriate education to our tribal members and other tribes. We have a health teaching clinic with— where we have interns come who go to then marginalized communities to work after we train them. And we serve about 25,000 people from many, many tribes in our region, as does our housing program through Nahasda, serves other tribes.

So we also have an impact in the community. And we have developed over the last 5 years 12 businesses. So we're trying to diversify our portfolio so that we can continue to provide services. The unmet need is still very great. As you know, we are in a very urban area.

We have a lot of substance abuse, mental health issues, homelessness, crime. There's a lot of, issues facing our community because of where we are. And so we have to provide programs. We recently, within the last 10 years since I've been here, created a wraparound program to provide services for our people. We're expanding our behavioral health service, uh, system to provide the unmet needs.

We opened a Cedar Wellness Center where we're doing Treatment for Everyone in the Community. It's open to everyone, and, um, that provides opioid rehab treatment outpatient. And we're talking about how to utilize those funds to create more wellness opportunities for people suffering through addiction and mental health issues. Um, oh my goodness, we're just doing so many great things, and I'm probably forgetting a whole bunch of things, but those you know, off the top of my head are, we're really, we recently were just a city sponsor for FIFA World Cup, and that was pretty exciting. And, you know, we're able to do some of those things.

Our culture program is bursting. We are revitalizing our culture in so many ways, you know, with our canoe journeys. We're speaking our language. We have a robust language program and robust cultural program. We're, we're just doing as much as we can.

And so I'm really excited about the community needs assessment because we want to hear from the people we serve about the programs that we have and making sure that we're providing what they need. And because we're self-determination, we can do that. We've also recently went self-governance, the Puyallup Tribe, with the federal government, and that's been really wonderful, taking on some more more programs and putting less burden on the federal government system as we develop capacity. So I feel like we're doing great things and great work, and I really appreciate and, you know, raise my hands to you guys in gratitude for having this hearing to help us to continue to do that work. Thank you so very much.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yield back. The gentleman yields. I want to thank both of our witnesses for their testimony and my colleagues for their great questions.

Members of this committee may have some additional questions for each of you, including those members that weren't able to make it this morning. And so we would ask that you please respond to those in writing under Committee Rule 3. Members of the committee must submit any of those questions to the committee clerk by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026. The hearing record will then be held open for 10 business days for those responses. If there's no further business, without objection, the committee stands adjourned.

Thank you all.