Less than a month after being introduced in the U.S. House, South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson’s legislation to protect the land around the Wounded Knee Massacre site has passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee with unanimous approval. “Getting unanimous passage out of committee shows that the tribes and our office have worked together to do our homework to lay the groundwork, and that people understand the need for this legislation,” Johnson said. “I think that means that the likelihood of us getting some time on the floor for a House vote is high, and we’re going to keep working until we get this thing across the finish line.”
The Bureau of Indian Education recently extended a five-year contract of a program that provides additional mental health resources for tribal youth, impacting more than 100 tribal schools in the Mountain West. The Behavioral Health and Wellness program allows for both Indigenous students and staff from both schools and universities to access the resources. Some of those resources offered by the program include telehealth counseling, a 24/7 crisis hotline, and on-site crisis support. Teresia Paul, the program lead and a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, believes it is a “gamechanger” for tribal communities.
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.
