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- By Native News Online Staff
In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country recently.
IHS Announces Second Round of Tribal Consultation, Urban Confer on Proposed Realignment
The Indian Health Service (IHS) has scheduled a second round of Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer sessions on its proposed agency realignment, Acting Director Benjamin Smith announced in a Nov. 13 Dear Tribal Leader and Urban Indian Organization Leader letter.
Smith said the restructuring aims to clarify roles within the agency, reduce administrative burdens, and allow IHS leadership to refocus on core responsibilities involving policy, oversight and partnership. He emphasized that the realignment is intended to strengthen the federal government’s government-to-government relationship with Tribal Nations and maintain support for Urban Indian Organizations.
IHS will hold four in-person consultation sessions in Oklahoma, Colorado, California and Washington throughout December 2025 and January 2026, along with one virtual Urban Confer session. Tribal leaders and designated representatives are required to register for both the in-person and virtual meetings.
The deadline to submit comments for both the Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer is Feb. 9, 2026.
House Committee Holds Hearing on Multiple Native Affairs Bills
On Nov. 19, 2025, the House Committee on Natural Resources’s Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held a legislative hearing covering a slate of bills affecting Native communities.
Among the measures under discussion:
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H.R. 4276 — would amend the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act to authorize competitive grants for tribes and tribal organizations.
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H.R. 5515 — called the “Indian Trust Asset Reform Amendment Act.”
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H.R. 5682 and H.R. 5696 — dealing with land‑into‑trust authority and modernizing tribal real estate expansion.
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