Native News
Senate Indian Affairs Committee to Consider Tribal Housing and Land Bills
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will hold a business meeting and legislative hearing Wednesday to consider legislation addressing Native housing, Tribal land, membership and other areas of Tribal authority.
The meeting, chaired by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), with U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) serving as vice chairman, is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
During the business meeting, the committee will consider S. 5354, the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Modernization Act of 2026, legislation that would reauthorize and update the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA), the primary federal law governing housing assistance in Indian Country.
The committee held a hearing on S. 5354 on September 16, where witnesses included Cherokee Nation Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner, Department of Housing and Urban Development official Hilary Atkin and Government Accountability Office Director Alicia Puente Cackley.
The committee’s September 23 legislative hearing will focus on four additional bills:
- S. 1750, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians Parity Act
- S. 3859, legislation concerning future membership in the Catawba Indian Nation under the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993
- S. 4053, legislation to place certain California land into trust for the benefit of the Pechanga Band of Indians
- H.R. 226, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act
Tribal leaders among witnesses
The hearing will feature testimony from federal officials and leaders representing the Tribal nations directly affected by the legislation.
Witnesses are:
- Brian Mercier, director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior
- Stephanie Bryan, chairwoman, Poarch Band of Creek Indians
- Patricia Leach, assistant chief, Catawba Nation
- Mark Macarro, chairman, Pechanga Band of Indians
- Michell Hicks, principal chief, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
The bills before the committee address a range of issues involving Tribal sovereignty and self-governance, including federal recognition of Tribal interests, land held in trust, Tribal membership and the exercise of governmental authority.
S. 5354 was introduced by Murkowski and Schatz on August 6. The legislation is a revised version of an earlier NAHASDA modernization bill, reflecting continued engagement with Native communities and housing organizations, according to the committee.
Among the provisions highlighted by Murkowski during the September 16 hearing is a proposal allowing Tribes, Tribally Designated Housing Entities and the Department of Hawaiian Homelands to use up to 20 percent of certain homeownership assistance for families earning up to 120 percent of area median income.
The September 23 hearing will be livestreamed on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs website, with an archived video expected to be available after the hearing.
WHAT: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs business meeting and legislative hearing
WHEN: Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 628, Washington, D.C.
WEBCAST: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing page
The post Senate Indian Affairs Committee to Consider Tribal Housing and Land Bills appeared first on Native News Online.