Hurd, Jeff: Good afternoon, everyone. The subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs will come to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare recess of the subcommittee at any time. The subcommittee is meeting today to hear testimony on four bills that are before us. Under Committee Rule 4F, any oral opening statements at hearings are limited to the chairman and to the ranking minority member. I therefore ask unanimous consent that all other members' opening statements be made part of the hearing record if they are submitted in accordance with Committee Rule 3.0. Without objection, so ordered. I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from California, Mr. Issa, be allowed to sit and participate in today's hearing. Without objection, so ordered. And I will now recognize myself for an opening statement. Good morning, everyone, and thank you to all of our witnesses for being here today as we consider four important bills affecting Indian Country. Taken together, these bills reflect several of the core responsibilities of the subcommittee, supporting tribal self-determination, improving public safety and health care access, preserving culturally significant lands and wildlife, and ensuring federal policies work in a practical way for tribal communities. First on the docket is H.R. 1010, introduced by Ranking Member Ledger Fernandez of New Mexico, which seeks to improve public safety in Indian Country. The bill directs the Attorney General to appoint tribal facilitators to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, strengthens coordination and information sharing among tribal, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, and creates additional tools to support missing and murdered indigenous peoples' investigations in tribal law enforcement capacity. Public safety in Indian Country remains a top priority and is one of the most serious issues that this committee confronts, and I'm grateful for the Ranking Member's continued leadership on this issue. I do note for the record that the Senate companion to this legislation received a Congressional Budget Office score that raises budgetary and procedural concerns that we will need to work through, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Ranking Member on those issues. Next we will consider H.R. 7954, the Don Young-Douglam Alpha Indian Buffalo Management Act, which I am proud to sponsor. This legislation directs the Department of the Interior to work collaboratively with tribes and tribal organizations to support the restoration and management of buffalo on tribal lands. The buffalo holds deep cultural, spiritual, and historical significance for many tribal nations, and its recovery is one of the great conservation success stories in this country. This bill was previously introduced as the Indian Buffalo Management Act but has been renamed to honor Congressman Dong Young and Congressman Doug LaMalfa, two strong advocates for Indian Country and longtime supporters of this effort. Both worked tirelessly to advance this legislation and it's an honor to continue their work here today. Our third bill is HR 8483 introduced by Representative Issa. of California, which would place approximately 836 acres of BLM and Forest Service land into trust for the Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians. This land carries significant cultural and historical importance for the Barona Band and would reconnect their present reservation with historic lands. Finally, we will consider H.R. 8658, introduced by Representative Kennedy of Utah, which addresses a practical challenge facing tribal patients who receive care outside of Indian Health Service facilities through the Purchased and Referred Care Program. Under current policy, patients generally only have 72 hours, 3 days, to notify IHS after receiving emergency care. In many rural and remote communities, that timeline is simply unrealistic. This bill extends the notification period and helps ensure tribal patients are not unfairly bills because of logistical barriers that are outside of their control. Each of these bills addresses different issues, but all are rooted in the same broader principle. Federal policy should support tribal communities in a way that is practical, respectful, and responsive to real-world conditions on the ground. I want to thank each of our witnesses for being here today, and I look forward to a productive discussion. At this point, the Chair now recognizes the ranking minority member for any statement, Ms. Ledger Fernandez from the State of New Mexico. Ms. Ledger Fernandez.