WASHINGTON DC –
Chairman Byron Dorgan (D-ND) announced Tuesday the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee will conduct a hearing Thursday, July 19th on discussion draft legislation to respond to chronic housing problems on the nation’s Indian reservations. The hearing will begin at 9:30 AM. It will take place in the Indian Affairs Committee hearing room, Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building.
Chairman Dorgan is preparing the draft legislation which would reauthorize and improve the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA). Dorgan said the purpose of the hearing is to garner input and suggestions on the legislation as it is still being developed.
“The federal government has a trust responsibility to provide adequate housing on Indian reservations, but it has failed to meet that responsibility for many decades. In many Indian communities, housing conditions are little better than in Third World countries,” Dorgan said. “The draft legislation we will discuss aims to respond to that crisis by putting the federal government on track to meeting its trust obligations to American Indians.”
NAHASDA Discussion Draft