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Pallone Addresses NCAI Members on Capitol Hill |
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Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-6) Monday addressed attendees of the National Congress of American Indians Executive Council Winter Session 2010. He spoke on his advocacy of reauthorizing the Indian Health Care Improvement Act as part of Congress’s health reform package and on his oversight of Indian affairs.
“After years of neglect and underfunding, we are on the verge of passing legislation that will help modernize the Indian Health Service and address the alarming health disparities that exist across Indian Country today,” said Pallone. “Health care reform will not only reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, but will also reform our health care system in a way that takes into account the unique needs of American Indians and Alaskan Natives.”
Pallone also spoke on his concern about the Supreme Court ruling Carcieri vs. Salazar. He cosponsored legislation that would allow the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for tribes and to take land into trust in the future, which fixes flaws in the Supreme Court ruling.
“Action must be taken to ensure that Indian tribes receive the full support of the U.S. government and that tribal lands are properly taken into trust and managed. We must ensure that federally recognized Indian tribes, regardless of when they were recognized, continue to have their lands taken into trust by the Secretary of Interior. I will work to ensure that Congress legislates a fix to the Carcieri ruling that protects Indian Country.”
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