press releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced a Senate resolution in support of efforts to stop the theft, illegal possession or sale, and export of Tribal cultural items. The bipartisan Protection of the Rights of Tribes to stop the Export of Cultural and Traditional...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) welcomed the news that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking a warrant to retrieve a stolen Pueblo of Acoma religious shield that's being held in France. The shield was scheduled to be sold off by the EVE Auction House in Paris in May, but was cancelled after the Pueblo of Acoma,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced growing bipartisan support for the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act, a bill he introduced earlier this month to prohibit the exporting of sacred Native American items and increase penalties for stealing and illegally trafficking tribal cultural patrimony. U.S....

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today at a press conference on Capitol Hill, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M) announced the introduction of the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act, a bill to prohibit the exporting of sacred Native American items and increase penalties for stealing and illegally trafficking tribal cultural patrimony.  The...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Citing concerns of tribal leaders, U.S Sen. Martin Heinrich said Tuesday he would push to broaden the scope of a federal law designed to crack down on the looting, trafficking and exporting of federally protected Native American items. Heinrich plans to introduce legislation that would double the prison time to 10...

American Indian tribes long have known that their sacred objects and items of cultural patrimony have been showing up in art galleries, on internet sites and in auction house catalogs — often in Europe — eventually ending up in the hands of wealthy international collectors. In the last year, at least 24 items of Acoma Pueblo cultural...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M) will unveil the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act at events in Albuquerque, N.M. and Washington, D.C. next week. On Tuesday, July 5, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., Senator Heinrich will be joined by tribal leaders to discuss the details of the STOP...

FARMINGTON — The Navajo Nation has thrown its support behind legislation that would strengthen a federal law that prohibits exporting Native American sacred and traditional items. On Thursday, nine members of the Naa’bik’íyáti’ Committee approved a bill to support the proposal, which Sen....

A small victory for Native cultures — an Acoma Pueblo shield did not go on the auction block in Paris earlier this week. After much protest from the United States, with top government officials weighing in on the side of Acoma Pueblo, the auction house pulled the shield. Now, to the bigger fight: staging a coordinated effort to return stolen...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) issued the following statement today after the EVE Auction House in Paris announced that it is canceling the sale of a shield used in religious ceremonies at Acoma Pueblo: "This is welcome news, and I am pleased that pressure from the Pueblo, federal officials, and the public at large forced...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is urging the U.S. State Department to take all possible action to help repatriate stolen cultural items to Native American tribes. In the United States, it is illegal to sell ceremonial Native American items. However, in France, where an auction of the items is planned for May 30, 2016, it...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) today announced that the president has signed into law legislation they introduced designating the bison as the U.S. national mammal. The bipartisan bill, the National Bison Legacy Act, also recognizes the historical, economic, and cultural significance of the bison,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján announced that the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) will be used to promote preservation and open up access to more than 2,000 acres of land in Santa Fe County’s Galisteo Basin. $1.5 million in LWCF funding will...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Steve Pearce, Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham welcomed news that four New Mexico schools have been selected by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) for campus-wide replacement. Crystal Boarding School, Dzilth-Na-O- Dith-Hle Community...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced more than $1.7 million for five health centers and treatment providers in New Mexico to improve and expand the delivery of substance abuse services, with a particular focus on the treatment of opioid abuse in underserved communities. The grants, funded under the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) voted to pass S.524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), a bill he cosponsored to provide a series of incentives and resources designed to encourage states and local communities to pursue a full array of proven strategies to combat and treat prescription opioid abuse...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Steve Pearce, Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham expressed concerns with delays in compensation for costs and damages in New Mexico caused by the EPA’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 4, 2016) - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivered a speech on the Senate floor to address the national epidemic of prescription opioid abuse and heroin use and its impact on New Mexico. He shared stories of New Mexicans he met from the Española Valley who have battled through addiction. Senator Heinrich is a...

GALLUP — The city of Gallup has extended its contract with Na’Nizhoozhi Center Inc. for operation of the detox center through the end of the fiscal year. NCI’s contract ran from Oct. 2 to Feb. 29, and the new four-month extension will keep doors open until June 30. City Attorney George Kozeliski said the city will put out a...

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) to introduce the bipartisan Diné College Act. This bill modernizes prior legislation relating to Diné College and reauthorizes the college through 2020. Diné College was established in...