Congresswoman Betty McCollum vists Red Lake Nation - P15

On Sunday, August 11, 2013, Congresswoman Betty McCollum visited the Red Lake Nation and was hosted to a dinner at the Seven Clans Event Center by the Red Lake Tribal Council and the Political Education Committee.

Representative McCollum, Co-Chair of the U.S. House of Representative Native American Caucus and member of the House Interior Appropriations Committee, met with the Red Lake Tribal Council and toured the Red Lake Indian Reservation on Monday.

Specific stops included the Red Lake IHS and Comprehensive Health Services, the Juvenile Detention Center, the Red Lake and Ponemah Boys and Girls Clubs, and the Ponemah Community Center.

She also viewed the plans for the Red Lake Nation Government Center and Red Lake Nation College, as well as the current construction site.

Presentations and tours were given by Red Lake Chairman Floyd "Buck" Jourdain, Tribal Health Director Oran Beaulieu, Criminal Justice Facilities Manager Wanda Lyons, Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Dawn Husby and Red Lake College President Dan King.

According to her website, Representative McCollum is a Democrat serving her seventh term in the United States Congress, representing Minnesota’s Fourth District. In 2000, Congresswoman McCollum made history as only the second Minnesota woman elected to serve in Congress since statehood in 1858. In the U.S. House of Representatives, she serves the residents of Minnesota's capital city, St. Paul, as well as Ramsey County and Washington County.

Throughout her career in public service, Congresswoman McCollum has been a champion for excellence in education, protecting the environment, expanding health care access and fiscal responsibility.

Education and health care are top policy priorities for Congresswoman McCollum. With over 20 institutions of higher learning located in the Fourth District alone, keeping higher education affordable, accessible and world-class is important. A strong proponent of public education, she supports keeping our schools accountable to parents and local officials.

During the 113th Congress, Congresswoman McCollum remained on the House Appropriations Committee. She is a Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense which has jurisdiction over the Departments of Army, Navy (including Marine Corps), Air Force, Office of Secretary of Defense, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and other relevant agencies.

Congresswoman McCollum also serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. This subcommittee has jurisdiction over the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, the Council on Environmental Quality, the Indian Health Service, and several other related agencies.

Prior to Congress, Congresswoman McCollum served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1993 to 2000 and was elected Assistant Leader three times by her Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party colleagues. From 1987 to 1992, she served her neighbors on the North St. Paul City Council.