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Amata takes part in Fishing, Veterans, Small Business, and Child Protection hearings

Congresswoman Amata in the Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples
Source: Office of the Congresswoman

Washington, D.C.— This past week, Congresswoman Aumua Amata took part in a variety of hearings, including examining a fishing report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), reviewing efforts to protect veterans from online fraud, along with hearings on supporting rural and remote small businesses, and updating child protection services in Native American communities.

The Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife hearing examined the NOAA fishing report in an oversight hearing entitled, Oversight of NOAA’s Report on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing.

Testimony included Ms. Alexa Cole, Acting Director of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection for NOAA, who also briefed Congresswoman Amata’s staff recently.

 “The United States is an example of the growing effort to have a sustainable, responsible and healthy fishing industry, and progress should be acknowledged,” said Aumua Amata. “Work must continue to identify bad actors that negatively impact our fishing industry, and where other countries are not complying with basic standards.”

Also, in the Natural Resources Committee this week, the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States held a legislative hearing examining H.R. 4957, the Native American Child Protection Act, which would amend and update the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act, and reauthorize the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Program.

This bill was introduced by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Congresswoman Amata is a cosponsor of the bill, currently as one of five bipartisan cosponsors.

The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing focused on protecting veterans’ identities online, and examined lawmakers’ concerns about propaganda, scams, and commercial fraud, along with the sources and vulnerabilities. The hearing was entitled, Hijacking our Heroes: Exploiting Veterans through Disinformation on Social Media.

Testimony included witnesses representing veterans as well as social media companies discussing how they handle these incidents.

 “Online fraud and scams can directly target our veterans,” said Aumua Amata. “We must work to root out these threats so that our Veterans’ great service to our country is never allowed to be a liability to their futures or the dignity of those who are seniors.”

The Small Business Committee’s Subcommittee on Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship held a hearing titled, Assessing the Government’s Role in Serving Rural American Small Businesses (Part One).

Members examined unique challenges facing these businesses, such as access to capital, training, and technology, and how the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service programs and Small Business Administration’s programs can improve efforts to support entrepreneurship in these remote areas.