INDIAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE APPROVES CAMPBELL’S LAND CONSOLIDATION BILL

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs today gave unanimous approval to Chairman Ben Nighthorse Campbell’s bill to reverse a century of splintered ownership of Indian lands.

Campbell’s bill would empower Indian tribes to consolidate lands on the reservation. That would not only lessen the financial and administrative burdens on the federal government but will help tribes attract and retain outside investment and employment creating opportunities.

The bill also rolls back the disastrous effects of the Dawes Act, a 19th century law designed to break up Indian reservations and assimilate Indians. Since the enactment of that law, with each generation a single parcel of land may have hundreds of owners. The administration of the lands and its leases has become increasingly inefficient and has contributed to the Interior Department’s mishandling of the Indian trust funds.

“Today we begin real Indian trust management reforms by getting at the core problem — land fractionation,” Campbell said. “The current situation is yet another example of the federal government putting burdens on Indian Country that do not exist anywhere else. If we are serious about self–determination, then we have to roll back arcane laws and put tribes in a position where they can compete for jobs and investment.”


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CONTACT: Chris Changery
(202) 224-1489
March 22, 2000