Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to Hold Field Hearing on Drugs in Bismarck

Published March 20, 2019

Witnesses Include North Dakota Governor, Attorney General and Tribal Chairs

BISMARCK, N.D. — On Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 10:00 AM, CDT, Senator John Hoeven, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, will chair a committee field oversight hearing titled “To Protect and Serve: Joint Law Enforcement Efforts in Building Safe Tribal Communities and Stopping Dangerous Drugs from Entering Indian Country.”

Witnesses testifying at the hearing include: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum; North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem; Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians Tribal Chairman Jamie Azure; Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Mike Faith; Spirit Lake Nation Tribal Chairwoman Myra Pearson; Sisseton Wapheton Oyate Nation Tribal Chairwoman Ella Robertson; and representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).

Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) also plan to attend the hearing.

DETAILS:

WHAT:           A committee field oversight hearing titled “To Protect and Serve: Joint Law Enforcement Efforts in Building Safe Tribal Communities and Stopping Dangerous Drugs from Entering Indian Country”

WHEN:          10:00 AM CDT, Wednesday, March 20, 2019

WHERE:      United Tribes Technical College – James Henry Gymnasium (Building #69), 3315 University Drive, Bismarck, ND

Note there will be no live webcast. Written testimony will be provided here.

WITNESSES FOR HEARING:

Panel I

THE HONORABLE DOUGLAS JAMES BURGUM, Governor, State of North Dakota, Bismarck, ND

THE HONORABLE WAYNE STENEHJEM, Attorney General, State of North Dakota, Bismarck, ND

Panel II

MS. JILL SANBORN, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice, Minneapolis, MN

MR. RICHARD SALTER, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Department of Justice, Omaha, NE

MR. CHARLES ADDINGTON, Deputy Bureau Director, Office of Justice Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.

Panel III

THE HONORABLE JAMIE AZURE, Chairman, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Belcourt, ND

THE HONORABLE MIKE FAITH, Chairman, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Fort Yates, ND

THE HONORABLE MYRA PEARSON, Chairwoman, Spirit Lake Nation, Fort Totten, ND

THE HONORABLE ELLA ROBERTSON, Chairwoman, Sisseton Wapheton Oyate Nation, Agency Village, SD