At 3:30 p.m. on Mar. 17, the Alaska Senate State Affairs Committee will hear a bill on Tribal recognition. If the proposed bill passes, the state of Alaska would legally have to acknowledge Alaska’s Tribes as Sovereign governments. Alaska’s 229 Tribes are already recognized by the federal government.
Sen. Mike Shower is the chair of the committee considering the bill. His committee has already postponed the hearing twice. A spokesperson from Shower’s office said that the committee meeting is expected to go on as planned today. The spokesperson said that attorneys from the state of Alaska, and Alaska Federation of Natives President Julie Kitka have been invited to testify on HB 123. The bill has already been passed by the Alaska House of Representatives. It must be moved out of this committee and one more committee before getting its final vote on the senate floor.
To tune into the meeting, click this link.
