OPA

Restoration of federal funds needed for Tribal Priority Allocations (TPA) that provide basic reservation programs and develop strong and stable tribal governments is a key component of the Fiscal Year 1997 Bureau of Indian Affairs $1. 78-billion budget request.

"As we approach the 21st Century, it is critical that the more than 550 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes receive the basic support needed to end the cycles of poverty and poor health that afflict so many tribal members," says Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Ada E. Deer. "Restoring these essential Tribal priority funds is key to honoring the federal trust responsibility to Tribes and fulfilling the government-to-government relationship with Tribes."

Tribes depend on the TPA budget for such basic necessities as law enforcement, child welfare, scholarships, natural resources management, and other programs designed to improve the quality of life and economic development potential on their reservations. Tribes can prioritize the funding for programs according to their own tribal circumstances and needs.

The BIA 1997 budget request reflects an overall $211-million increase above the 1996 Conference level including $158 million for TPA restoration. Besides strengthening tribal programs, the restored funds overall will ensure the accreditation of BIA schools, address critical infrastructure needs, and meet the Secretary of the Interior's trust responsibilities.

The BIA school operations budget of $452 million is devoted to Indian education programs that serve more than 51,000 elementary and secondary students in 23 states. A $43.5-million increase over the 1996 education budget is requested so that schools can meet state and regional accreditation standards and accommodate a projected 3.5-percent increase in student enrollment. More than one-third of the requested $122-million BIA construction budget is for education construction.

New school construction is funded at $18 million in order to build the $14-million Many Farms High School in Arizona and to complete $4 million in construction remaining at the Chief Leschi school complex in Washington State. The budget also includes $23 million to correct health and safety deficiencies at BIA educational facilities.

Combined funding for BIA Central and Area Office activities and related support services is set at $144.5 million, which is $27.5 million less than two years ago. BIA streamlining and downsizing is reflected in the fact that 90 percent of the Bureau's operations account is devoted to education, social services, and other programs at the reservation level. Contrary to occasional reports, this means that 90 cents of every BIA operations dollar is delivered directly to the reservation.

Final regulations to establish officially the Reservation Acceleration Program (RAP) are being published in the Federal Register, the Commissioner of the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs, Louis R. Bruce, announced today. Publication of the-new regulations in the Federal Register officially establishes the Bureau program which has been in operation since January.

RAP is designed to give federally recognized Indian tribes the chance to consult with Bureau of Indian Affairs line officials on restructuring Bureau services to provide maximum support for the tribes' comprehensive development plans. To date, 37 tribes have been selected to participate in the program, and are presently in negotiations.

The regulations establish purpose, eligibility, applicant submission and acceptance, and implementation procedures of the Reservation Acceleration Program, and will become effective 30 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register.

In line with President Nixon's 1970 message to the Congress on self-determination for Native Americans, RAP was one of the principal features of the Commissioner's 5-point policy directions for '72.

Commissioner Louis R. Bruce of the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs, today announced the approval of a 1965 claims judgment for more than $4.9 million to the Creek Nation of Oklahoma.

The judgment represents more than $1 million in Indian Claims Commission docket 276 and $3.9 million in docket 276. Decision to begin payment was recommended by Claude Cox, Principal Chief of the Creeks; Ed Johnson, Chairman of the Creek Indian Council; and Virgil Harrington, Area Director of the Bureau's Muskogee, Okla. Area Office.

The award for docket 276 represents additional payment for more than 2 million acres of land in Oklahoma ceded under the Treaty of August 7, 1856. Funds to cover the award were appropriated in 1966 and legislation authorizing expenditure of the funds was enacted in 1968.

The award for docket 21 represents payment for about 8.9 million acres of land in Alabama and Georgia ceded under the Treaty of 1814. Legislation authorizing expenditure of the funds was enacted in 1968 and the funds were appropriated in 1965.

The Muskogee Area Office expects to complete per capita distribution of the award by January 1, 1973.

James J. Thomas, 27, Winnebago Indian, has been named special assistant to the Department of the Interior's Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Louis R. Bruce, the Commissioner announced today.

Thomas, horn and reared on the Winnebago I Indian Reservation, Nebraska, recently completed an Indian administrator development program of the Bureau.

In announcing the appointment, the Commissioner said: "I am proud that Indian people have man such as Jim Thomas who can come to the Bureau of Indian Affairs from an Indian reservation and contribute the knowledge he gained there coupled with expertise from the urban setting for the betterment of Indians."

Thomas joined the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1967. He headed the Bureau's Youth Committee and served in an intern capacity at the Billings Area Office, Flathead Agency, and Cleveland Field Employment Assistance Office, all BIA field offices.

Part of his internship included a special eight-month assignment to the Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington, D.C., as an analyst for selected community action programs.

Thomas attended St. Augustine's Indian Mission on the Winnebago Reservation, and was graduated from Heelan High School, Sioux City, Iowa, in 1963. He served three years in the National Guard, and was on active duty at Fort Jackson, S.C., and Fort Polk, La. He has attended George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; Eastern Montana State University, Billings, Mont.; Griswold College, Cleveland, Ohio; and Northern Virginia Community College, Arlington, VA.

Louis R. Bruce, Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the Department of the Interior, today lauded the Salt River Indian Community of Arizona for receiving the Meritorious Program Award of the American

Institute of Planners. The award was presented at the Institute's 52nd annual convention in Boston.

In a letter addressed to the President of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Council, Commissioner Bruce said this was the first time that the Nation's leading professional planning organization has honored an Indian community.

Salt River was the first tribe to negotiate with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to be included in the Reservation Acceleration Program (RAP). RAP has moved from a pilot status involving 11 selected tribes to one of nearly 40 participating tribes during 1972.

"Please accept my congratulations for the professional recognition that you have just received," the Commissioner wrote “I know you will go on from here and continue to explore. And to conquer new ground, serving as a model for other small communities, Indian and non-Indian) throughout the Nation."

Two thousand Pima and Maricopa Indians comprise the Salt River Indian Community near Scottsdale, Ariz. The Citizens adopted a new constitution and produced a planning program which resulted in major decrease in unemployment; created new educational programs; Construction of an industrial park; adoption of zoning regulations; and improvement of its housing stock to the point where housing is now adequate for 30 percent of its families.

It is the first time that a plan has been created for an Indian community by the Indian citizens themselves. "I know that my planning staff can learn much. From your pioneering efforts not only in developing your own, unique planning process, but in supporting it through the development of a community land board which involves allottees in managing their land, and in setting up a computerized land management system," Bruce said.

Assistant Secretary of the' Interior Richard S. Bodman announced today that Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters personnel are now all back at work. Interior Secretary Rogers C. B. Morton vested authority for administrative control of all Indian operations in Bodman, Assistant secretary for Management
and Budget, on December 2.

Mr. Bodman said that the Offices of Planning, Engineering, Community, Services and Economic Development are located at Tempo 8, 3800 Newark Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. The Offices of Indian Water Rights, Communications, Legislative Development, Education Programs, Management Systems, Fiscal Plans and Management, Administrative Services and the Director of Southeast Agencies are located at 1951 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.

"We are moving aggressively to insure that services provided to Indian people by the Bureau of Indian Affairs are provided in a timely and effective fashion" Mr. Bodman said.

Among the steps taken by Bodman are: Assignment of duties to his deputies, Charles G. Emley, Richard R. Hite, and William L. Rogers to administer the operation of the day-to-day activities of the BIA; institution of a management reporting system which will furnish feedback on progress and problems of the headquarters and field supervisors of BIA on a weekly basis; assignment of increased responsibility to the 11 area directors in the field to reassign and transfer personnel previously requiring Washington headquarters approval.

"It is essential that we continue to provide the critical and life supporting services to Indians without interruption," Mr. Bodman said.

Richmond, Virginia’s Junior ROTC Unit of John F. Kennedy High School presented $200 to the Navajo Indians at the U.S. Department of the Interior Building in Washington, D.C. December 27. Accepting the cheek was Interior's Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget Richard S. Bodman. He presently has administrative control of all Indian operations for the Department of the Interior.

In accepting the donation Assistant Secretary Bodman commended the ROTC Unit for their deep interest in helping their fellow Americans who may be less fortunate.

"I know I speak for the Navajo people when I say 'Thank you' and that it will be used in a worthwhile manner indicative of the spirit in which you give it. I am particularly touched by the fact that you went out and
earned this money on your own and then decided to contribute it to such a 'Worthy cause."

Six John F. Kennedy High School ROTC cadets ranging in age from 14 to 17 years-of-age made the presentation. They were led by Sgt. Gerald Clemons, Jr., Junior ROTC Instructor. 'Members of the unit present were Cadet Col. Jerome Ford: Cadet Lt. Col. Melvin Bullock: Cadet Maj. Arthur Gathers, Jr.; Cadet Maj. Thomas Nobles; Cadet Capt. Jerry Owens, and Cadet Capt. Donald Bullock.

In making arrangements for the presentation Clemons pointed out that the decision to raise money for the Indians came after the young people of the ROTC group saw a television documentary that indicated the needs of the Indians. The group held candy sales, cake sales, and other benefits to raise the money they presented to Assistant Secretary Bodman.

Regulations have been issued to govern distribution of $9.2 million for the Delaware Tribe of Indians and the Absentee Delaware Tribe of Western Oklahoma, the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs announced
today. The regulations will be published in the Federal Register on Dec. 27.

The new regulations specify procedures to followed by eligible persons in order for them to share in the distribution of judgment funds.

The settlement was made of claims in Indian Claims Commission Dockets 72 and 298 and represents additional payment of $1.4 million for lands in the Delaware Outlet in Kansas. The land was taken in the 1850's and sold under a treaty of 1854. Accumulated interest amounts to $7.8 million.

Pursuant to the Act of Congress signed by President Nixon on October 3, 1972, all persons who meet the following requirements for eligibility are entitled to share in the distribution of funds authorized
by the Act. Eligible persons are those who are citizens of the United States, living on October 3, 1972, whose name, or the name of a lineal ancestor, appears on one of the following rolls:

The Delaware Indian per capita payroll approved by the Secretary of the Interior on April 20, 1906;

The constructed base census roll as of 1940 of the Absentee Delaware Tribe of Western Oklahoma, approved by the Secretary of the Interior.

In order to share in the distribution of the judgment funds eligible persons must make timely applications to be put on the payment roll. However, applicants for enrollment on the roll of the Delaware Nation of Indians prepared under the Act of September 21, 1968, are not required to apply for enrollment under the 1972 Act as their application under the 1968 Act will also be considered on application under the 1972 Act. Applications from eligible persons who did not apply for enrollment under the 1968 Act must be filed with the Area Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Federal Building, Muskogee, Oklahoma 74401; or the Area Director,
Bureau of Indian Affairs, P.O. Box 368, Anadarko, Oklahoma 73005. Such applications must be postmarked no later than February 28, 1973.

Forty-three Indian tribal leaders and officials of the Department of the Interior (DOI) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will meet January 27-29 at Washington, D.C.'s Dulles Airport to finalize a report to the Secretary of the Interior on the reorganization of the BIA.

The tenth meeting of the Joint Tribal/BIA/DOI Advisory Task Force for the organization of the BIA will be held from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day at the Remada Renaissance Hotel at Washington Dulles Airport locate in Northern Virginia. The Task Force will hear testimony from Indian tribal leaders and Indian organizations from Eastern Area states on their ideas as to how the BIA should be reorganized to better serve Indian tribes and individuals. The meeting is open to the general public.

The report to be submitted to Secretary Manuel Lujan is expected to include recommendations on the organizational structure at both the central and field offices of the BIA as well as budgetary recommendations.

Established for a two-year period last January by Interior Secretary Lujan, the Task Force is comprised of 36 Indian tribal leaders, two D I officials and five BIA personnel. A status report on their reorganization efforts was submitted to Secretary Lujan and the U.S. Congress last April. The Dulles meeting will be the fifth since that report was submitted. The Task Force last met in Tampa, Florida in December.

Eddie F. Brown, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs in Interior, is co -chair of the Task Force for the federal representatives, and Wendell Chino, President of the Mescalero Apache Tribe in New Mexico, is co-chair as the tribal leader’s representative.

The names of Task Force members are enclosed as well as a briefing paper that summarizes the Task Force's actions to date.

Interior's Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Ada E. Deer said today the President's fiscal year 1995 budget request of $2.24 billion for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) continues the shift of resources from the BIA to Indian tribes and strengthens the foundation established last year by President Clinton and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt to fulfill the federal Indian trust responsibility and the creation of a government-to-government partnership.

"By continuing to emphasize and enhance the shift of responsibilities and resources to the tribes, we are providing them with the capability and flexibility to set and implement their own goals and directly administer federal programs," Deer said.

"This budget includes a significant investment in Indian education with about one-third of BIA's Operation of Indian Programs (OIP) budget devoted to Indian education programs," she added.

The 1995 total budget authority request of $2.24 billion for the Bureau of Indian Affairs falls slightly under the $2.27 billion enacted for 1994. For current appropriations, the President's request is $1. 77 billion. The OIP appropriation is increased by $9.3 million over 1994, to $1.5 billion.

The request for Tribal Priority Allocations (TPA), the portion of BIA's budget where funding priorities for programs are determined by the tribes, totals $447.4 million, about 30 percent of BIA's operating budget. The proposed program increase of $8.8 million will be used for law enforcement, social services, agriculture, and other programs prioritized by the tribes at the local level. Self-governance grants of $56.1 million are included in the TPA request and will provide funds for about 30 tribes. Contract support funds are also increased by $4 million for a total of $95.8 million.

Funds for education of Indian children in BIA's 186 funded schools are increased by $15.8 million to $514.8 million. "Quality education is an essential component in reducing unemployment, increasing self-esteem, improving community life, and increasing economic opportunities on the reservations," Deer said.

The education budget proposes distributing Indian School Equalization Formula dollars, which support basic educational programs for children in grades K through 12, based on the previous year's enrollment. The increased funding includes two new schools -- Trenton in North Dakota and Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan -- for the 1995-96 school year. Johnson-O'Malley, a supplemental education program for Indian students in public schools, will be funded at the FY 1994 level of $24.4 million. Funding for the 22 tribally controlled community colleges is continued at $26.9 million.

A total of $170 million has been requested for legislated settlements to resolve long-standing tribal claims to water and lands that would be provided in a separate fund within the Indian Land and Water Rights Claims Settlements and Miscellaneous Payments to Indians appropriations. The fund will include payments for nine settlements as well as the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project and water rights negotiation and litigation studies. The request fully funds all anticipated FY 1995 requirements for implementing enacted settlements.

In human services, the BIA General Assistance program is funded at $105.6 million. The $5 million welfare reform planning grant program initiated in 1994 will not be continued in order to allow the Bureau to fund other priorities. Indian Child Welfare Act grants are funded at the 1994 level.

The President's budget includes $191 million available in contract authority for Indian road construction which is funded out of the Department of Transportation Federal Highway Trust Fund. BIA's road maintenance funds are requested in the amount of $30 million.

In natural resources, $4.5 million is included to support the President's forest plan, $3 million for Jobs in the Woods ecosystem restoration projects, and $1.5 million to harvest the identified allowable backlog of approved annual timber cuts on reservations.

The Bureau continues to make progress in improving management and accountability in various areas. The 1995 request includes an increase of $1 million for financial management, and a $1.7 million increase to continue development and implementation of the land records history and imaging system critical to identifying ownership of allotted Indian lands.

The 1995 budget request includes a $5.7 million reduction related to personnel streamlining and a $7.7 million reduction resulting from administrative savings. BIA proposes to consolidate two area offices in Oklahoma and streamline other central offices and area and agency offices to provide more effective and efficient service delivery.

BIA will continue its funding for the repair of high risk dams on Indian reservations. A proposed budget of $18 million will include corrective action to be completed on Black Rock Dam in New Mexico and Crow Creek Dam in South Dakota.

The 1995 request for construction includes $6.9 million to complete the construction of the Sac and Fox juvenile detention center in Oklahoma. Education construction programs total $43 million, a reduction of $31.3 million from 1994, including a reduction in funding for one-time 1994 new school construction projects and a reduction in facilities improvement and repair. Construction will continue on seven previously funded schools, and the Bureau will have sufficient unobligated funds to complete facility improvement and repair projects on schools and law enforcement facilities.