The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 6, 2024, that the Indian Health Service (IHS) must pay contract support costs with respect to program income – payments from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers – received by tribes...more
The White House released its National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on Sept. 27, 2022, ahead of the second-ever White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Specifically, the 44-page paper calls on...more
9/29/2022
/ Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of the Interior ,
Dietary Guidelines ,
FEMA ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
HUD ,
Human Rights ,
Humanitarian Assistance ,
Native American Issues ,
Public Health ,
Tribal Governments ,
Tribal Lands ,
USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on April 14, 2022, released its Equity Action Plan (Plan) to the public. The Plan displays a shift in policy and perspective that is endorsed by the USDA Secretary, which is...more
To ensure that Indian Country continues the important work of addressing food insecurity, increasing opportunities for tribal producers and strengthening regional tribal food economies, the Native Farm Bill Coalition (the...more
The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), published its Final Rule governing implementation of the Buy Indian Act (87 FR 2067) on Jan. 13, 2022. These Buy Indian...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury on April 26, 2021, announced that it will hold an information session on the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) on May 13, 2021, from 2 to 3 p.m. ET and a tribal consultation on...more
The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, under the leadership of Chairman Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), held a hearing, "Examining the Impact of the Tax Code on Native American Tribes." It was the...more
• Indian Country was disappointed in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017's lack of inclusion of provisions that would put tribes on an equal footing with sovereign nations.
• In addition, modifications of the "Kiddie Tax"...more
Court: Bureau of Indian Affairs Failed to Act in Timely Manner on Tribal Funding Proposal -
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on April 4, 2017, ruled that the Navajo Nation is entitled to...more
4/7/2017
/ Anti-Deficiency Act ,
Appeals ,
Bureau of Indian Affairs ,
Equitable Estoppel ,
Federal Funding ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Government Shutdown ,
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA) ,
Judicial System ,
Native American Issues ,
Navajo Nation ,
State Sovereignty
President-Elect Donald Trump has officially announced Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) as his nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI). During his time in Congress, Zinke has addressed various DOI issues...more
12/16/2016
/ Coal ,
Department of the Interior ,
Native American Issues ,
Nominations ,
Political Appointments ,
Public Land ,
Tax Credits ,
Transition Team ,
Tribal Lands ,
Trump Administration ,
Water Rights
With the advent of a Republican-controlled White House and Congress, many who work in Washington, D.C., on behalf of Indian tribes may be tempted to adopt a defensive posture. But while it always is important to defend tribal...more
11/21/2016
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Bonds ,
E-Commerce ,
Employee Benefits ,
Excise Tax ,
Health Insurance ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Internet Retailers ,
LIHTC ,
Low-Income Issues ,
Medicaid ,
Native American Issues ,
NDAA ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Pensions ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Reform ,
Tribal Governments ,
Trump Administration
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) assessed on July 15 a civil money penalty in the amount of $2.8 million against Hawaiian Gardens Casino Inc., d/b/a The Gardens Casino, for Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) regulatory...more
7/19/2016
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
BSA/AML ,
Casinos ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Cooperative Compliance Regime ,
Currency Transaction Reports (CTR) ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Gambling ,
IRS ,
Native American Issues ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)
Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), on March 21, 2016, issued a final rule to apply Medicare payment methodologies to all physician and other health professional...more
President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in early March 2016 a new partnership to confront the challenges of a changing Arctic. The partnership calls for the involvement of key stakeholders...more
When Congress first authorized the domestic use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (FMRA), it created special, streamlined provisions for the...more
The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) on Jan. 12, 2016, announced a new policy to improve the implementation of the Buy Indian Act of 1910 (Act). The policy, announced in a memorandum by Acting...more
After years of post-settlement wrangling in a class action lawsuit brought by Native American farmers and ranchers for damages arising from what they claimed was systemic discrimination against them by the U.S. Department of...more
The U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico has preliminarily approved a final settlement for the parties in Ramah Navajo Chapter et al. v. Jewell, a class action against the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)...more
On April 24 at 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., and on April 25 at 9:30 p.m., the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies will hold three separate American Indian and Alaska Native Public and...more