As an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation and the only Native American currently serving in the House of Representatives, I am committed to serving the Native Americans living in Oklahoma and across the United States. I am very proud of my heritage and the tremendous accomplishments of the Native American Community in Oklahoma and across our country.
Native Americans are aggressively working toward better health care and economic diversification. I will work to ensure quality health care for Native Americans. The United States has promised to provide this care and I will work to keep that promise. I also will work for increased business opportunities in Indian country to grow their communities and increase Native American's economic prospects.
The U.S. government recognizes that American Indian tribes are sovereign entities. They have their own government and rights that should be honored and respected. Native American Indian tribes have a unique relationship with state governments as well as the federal government.
During the 108th Congress, I worked with my colleagues to include provisions in H.R. 1308, The All American Tax Relief Act, to extend two parts of the tax code for one year -- 168(j) and 45A. These two sections were amended in 1997 to include Oklahoma Indian country. The provisions will extend tax incentives for businesses that locate or expand on former Indian lands and provide a tax credit for businesses that hire Native Americans and their spouses. Without an extension, both of these provisions will expire at the end of the year.
I have and will continue to take an active part in the discussion about Indian trust funds. The Resources Committee has held two hearings on the Indian trust fund issue and is building a bipartisan framework to settle this issue in wake of the questions arising out of the so called Corbel litigation. I believe there is a solution that is fair for all concerned, and I will work to ensure that justice is given to the 500,000 individual Indian trust funds beneficiaries.
Pursuant to treaties, statutes, and the special relationship of sovereign Indian tribes with the United States, the federal government has a responsibility for ensuring the provision of certain services and resources to Native Americans. Self-governance allows tribes to effectively step into the shoes of the federal government and carry out the various federal programs, services, and functions in a manner that best works for the tribes and their members Formalized in the late 1980s, an experiment called the Tribal Self-Governance Demonstration Project has grown into a flourishing model for government-to-government relations between Indian tribes and the federal government.