WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives Interior Appropriations Committee recently passed the Interior funding measure for FY 2002 with funding for the BIA and the Indian Health Service. The bill is almost identical to the president’s proposed budget, with few exceptions.
Under the committee’s bill, $2.213 billion is proposed for the BIA, an increase of $76.2 million over this year’s enacted level and $10 million more than the president’s request. The IHS would receive $2.76 billion, a $6.7 million increase over this year’s level and $50 million more than the president asked.
While a few are encouraged by some of the funding levels, tribal leaders say there still is a long way to go in meeting the real needs of Indian country.
“Certainly the expectation of Indian country is that the president will honor his commitments,” said Randy Noka, first councilman for the Narragansett Tribe in Rhode Island. “He said he was going to be the education president, but he has not yet shown that he is going to meet the unmet needs of tribes regarding education. If that was one of his main objectives as a candidate and he does not fulfill it, then that doesn’t bode well for our other needs.”
Under the president’s proposed budget and the committee’s measure, $292,503,000 is proposed for BIA education construction, only $162,000 more than this year’s level. During a campaign stop in New Mexico, President Bush promised pueblo leaders he would request $1 billion in funds for American Indian schools in his first budget proposal to Congress. Bush said he was committed to improving the condition of American Indian schools and that American Indian education would be a priority.
The committee’s report also focuses attention on the ongoing Cobell vs. Norton case, stating that the committee is “very concerned over the escalating costs” associated with the litigation. However, it did not appropriate any funds for a historical accounting of Individual Indian Money accounts, as required by the court. The report states the committee “has no interest” in appropriating additional funds for litigation support and “if the Department, working with the plaintiffs and the Court, cannot find a cost effective methodology for an historical accounting, the Congress may have to consider a legislative remedy.”
The committee bill would continue several legislative riders currently in place, including: hiring administrative law judges to address the American Indian probate backlog, the redistribution of Tribal Priority Allocation and tribal base funds, allocation of BIA post-secondary school funds consistent with unmet needs, limit use of the Huron cemetery, permit a tribal school construction demonstration program and limit payments for contract support costs in past years to funds available in law.
The bill contains language that would limit execution of new and expanded IHS contracts and compacts once the appropriation has been committed. The provision would prohibit any increase in direct contract support funding for existing compacts.
During the consideration, no controversial amendments were considered, however it is possible some amendments will be offered once the measure reaches the House floor.
“I hope they can meet their commitments to Indian people,” Noka said. “There’s a long way to go and a lot of people are counting on them.”