A U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs oversight hearing was held Thursday afternoon from Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage on Transformative and Innovative Strategies for Better Educational Outcomes for Alaska Native Students. The event was hosted by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Some of the subjects discussed at the meeting was the native language revitalization program, dropout rates, healthcare, and infrastructure for education, culture and language.
The hearing featured testimony provided by several guests including the Honorable Julie Kitka, President of the Alaska Federation of Natives; Sandy Salaktuna Kowalski, Vice President, Shareholder Relations of NANA Regional Corporation in Kotzebue; William Naneng, General Manager of Sea Lion Corporation in Hooper Bay; and Dr. Michael Johnson, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.
In addition, Murkowski introduced the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022. The compromise package includes the senator’s Alaska tribal public safety empowerment pilot program, which is aimed at addressing the public safety crisis in Alaska Native Villages. It also includes important provisions to combat teen violence, protect women at risk of lethal abuse at the hands of convicted domestic violence offenders, improve access to trauma-informed care for all victims of violence, and expands access to medical forensic exams for survivors of sexual assault.
Click here for a section by section of the bill. Click here for bill text. Click HERE to watch Senator Murkowski’s remarks at a press conference on the bill introduction.