Tucson Standard

WASHINGTON – The House Natural Resources Committee has passed a bipartisan bill to support the Tucson-based Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation. The Udall Foundation Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2882) will reauthorize the foundation until 2028, honoring the legacies of Arizona's former U.S. Congressmen Mo and Stewart Udall.

Representatives Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) and Melanie Stansbury (D-NM-01) expressed their excitement and pride in the committee's passage of the bill. Ciscomani stated, "The Udall Foundation is a powerful platform that honors Arizona’s former U.S. Representatives Mo and Stewart Udall’s legacies on our nation’s natural resources and public lands." He further added, "This bill guarantees the continued operation of the organization, which has been an impactful avenue for students, scholars, and researchers in addressing our top environmental and natural resource concerns."

Stansbury, who is also a former Udall Foundation Fellow, emphasized the importance of the bill in empowering the next generation to protect and defend the environment and natural resources. She said, "Through reauthorization, I’m proud to continue Mo and Stewart Udall's extraordinary legacies to protect the environment and ensure Indigenous scholars can contribute their expertise to our higher education institutions and our government."

The Udall Foundation itself expressed its gratitude to the committee for their support. Charlie Rose, Chair of the Udall Foundation Board of Trustees, thanked Chair Westerman, Ranking Member Grijalva, and the Committee on Natural Resources for their backing of H.R. 2882. He also acknowledged the efforts of Representative Ciscomani and Representative Stansbury in sponsoring and co-sponsoring the bill. Rose highlighted the foundation's nonpartisan mission of providing environmental collaboration and conflict resolution services, as well as education programs in the areas of environmental public policy, Tribal public policy, and Native health care.

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR-04) commended the Udall Foundation for its success in providing scholarship and internship opportunities to Native American students since its establishment in 1992. Westerman emphasized the importance of reauthorizing the foundation to ensure these opportunities continue for the next generation. He expressed his readiness to help pass the bill into law and thanked Representative Ciscomani for leading the way on the issue.

The Senate companion legislation for the Udall Foundation Reauthorization Act was previously passed with unanimous consent in April, led by U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ). With the House Natural Resources Committee's passage, the bill is one step closer to becoming law and ensuring the foundation can continue its crucial work in protecting our environment and supporting scholars and researchers in addressing environmental and natural resource concerns.

To find out more, go to this link: https://ciscomani.house.gov/media/press-releases/ciscomani-stansbury-celebrate-committee-passage-bipartisan-bill-support-tucson