BILLINGS — A bill before Congress to grant federal recognition to Montana’s Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians has advanced past a Senate committee.
Democrat Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Sen. Steve Daines said their Little Shell recognition bill passed out of the Indian Affairs Committee on Wednesday. A similar measure is pending the House.
Federal acknowledgement could bring the 4,500-member tribe land, housing and education assistance.
The state recognized the Great Falls-centered tribe in 2000. Decades of effort to gain federal recognition have been unsuccessful.
The U.S. Interior Department last year announced that the Little Shell was eligible to be reconsidered for federal tribal recognition. Alternatively, Congress can pass legislation recognizing the tribe.