WASHINGTON - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over Native American issues, today praised the successful completion of a settlement to repay hundreds of thousands of Native Americans, effectively resolving over a century of mismanagement of trust funds and land claims. The settlement was authorized last year by a Democratic-controlled Congress by an overwhelming margin of 256-152, but still required the approval of the courts. The attorney's fees were capped in that legislation at $99 million, and that amount was not exceeded in this settlement.
Below is the statement from Rep. Markey:
"After a century of waiting for justice, and more than a decade of litigation, the Native Americans wronged by the federal government finally have a successful resolution to this regrettable history."
Action and House roll call on Claims Resolution Act of 2010 >>
