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May 3, 2024
Dear John,
Improving Connections
BIG Update
Often, Native Americans are wrongfully left to pay medical bills owed by the Indian Health Service (IHS) through Purchased/Referred Care claims. Patients then must decide to either pay a bill they don’t personally owe or risk the bill getting sent to debt collectors. In March, I introduced the Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act to reform IHS and protect Native Americans’ credit.
My bill was discussed during a House Natural Resources Committee hearing this week. Getting a hearing on a bill in Congress is a big deal. Tens of thousands of bills get introduced every two years, but only several hundred receive a hearing. I’m glad this bill is one of those few and hope it passes the Committee soon.
Chairwoman Janet Alkire from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and I testified in support of my bill. You can see my remarks here.
Johnson and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairwoman Janet Alkire
BIG Idea
Regulations and bureaucratic red tape make it difficult to deploy new broadband infrastructure in rural America. I introduced the FOREST Act this week to streamline the permitting process for new broadband infrastructure projects to keep rural Americans up to speed.
BIG News
The United States Postal Service announced its final reorganization plan for South Dakota’s facilities. The Sioux Falls Processing and Distribution Center will be turned into a Local Processing Center and a Sorting and Delivery Center. The nationwide restructuring is intended to increase efficiency for mail deliveries, but there are concerns this will decrease mail delivery speeds in rural areas like South Dakota, where mail will now travel hundreds of extra miles to reach its final destination. It’s unfortunate dozens of jobs will be lost or transferred out of state, forcing families to relocate or find another job. This week, I met with Brandon Delzer, the President of South Dakota Rural Letter Carriers Association, to discuss the restructuring and other postal issues.
Johnson and Brandon Delzer, President of South Dakota Rural Letter Carriers Association
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