VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Sen. Joe Biden, Democratic candidate for vice president, has a positive record in regard to Native issues. Taking in consideration the most recent of legislation and bills that have passed, he has been an instrument of positive influence for American Indians.
Through the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, of which he is the chairman, Biden sponsored S. 2731 – the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008.
In the bill was an amendment to reallocate the distribution of funds from the emergency fund for Indian safety and health. The amendment passed with Biden’s support. Ultimately, the measure offered by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., passed in the Senate and will give a $250 million boost to health care in Indian country.
Biden also was part of a unanimous effort in the Senate May 22 to reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act, S. 2062. The program provides financing guarantees so that tribes may receive private market loans to develop affordable housing in Indian country.
In a Senate Indian Affairs Committee news release, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, “The U.S. Senate took another major step toward improving the lives of thousands of Native Americans. By passing the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act, we have reauthorized a program that has a proven track record of helping tribes provide adequate housing for thousands of families.”
Biden also co-sponsored the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2008, which will better coordinate prosecution of crime in tribal communities, expand related programs, and address issues of sexual assault and domestic violence. The bill has not yet been voted on.
