Long-time Native American member of Congress has secured one of the most influential roles on Capitol Hill. Chickasaw citizen and Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole is the new chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. The 10-term, 74-year-old lawmaker said in a statement that he is excited to "hit the ground running." A leader who advanced solutions to sacred site protection and the MMIP crisis has retired, leaving behind a long legacy in the Department of Justice. Tracy Toulou is the outgoing director of the Office of Tribal Justice, which he oversaw for over 20 years. A Native American non-profit has purchased land in the Black Hills, near a sacred site. Officials from the Cheyenne River Youth Project announced it bought 40 acres adjacent to Bear Butte State Park in the western part of the state. The outgoing president of the Alaska Federation of Natives Julie Kitka has been nominated to be the new co-chair of the Denali Commission. She was backed last week by Alaska's congressional delegation for the job, which oversees a variety of federal programs in Alaska.
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