WASHINGTON—ON March 27, Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., introduced HR 4329, a bill to reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) of 1996.

In addition to Rep. Peace’s bill, the House also has a similar bill, HR 4277, which has the same goal of reauthorizing NAHASDA.

Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, introduced that bill and it is currently co-sponsored by House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Ranking Member Colleen Hanabusa, D-Hawaii and Reps. Tom Cole, R-Okla., Denny Heck, D-Wash., Dan Kildee, D-Mich. and Gwen Moore, D-Wis.

Although it is unknown which bill will eventually champion the reauthorization in the House, NAHASDA reauthorization is expected to move through the House fairly quickly.

The Senate NAHASDA reauthorization bill, S 1352, was introduced by Senator Cantwell, D-Wash.

S 1352 was approved by voice vote by the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Dec. 18, 2013 and discharged by the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in January 2014.

S 1352 now waits for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to call the bill to the floor for full Senate consideration.

NAHASDA created a program run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that awards block grants to eligible American Indian tribes to provide housing assistance to low-income families who live on reservations or other areas under tribal authority.

The Navajo Housing Authority is the Navajo Nation’s tribally designated housing entity. It operates off of the funds received from a HUD NAHASDA program block grant.

Originally passed in 1996, NAHASDA was reauthorized for five years in 2002, and again in 2008 for another five years, which expired in 2013.

See related news release: Native Housing Bill Makes Ground in Congress

For more information contact Carolyn Drouin, government and legislative affairs associate at cdrouin@nnwo.org

WASHINGTON– The Special Diabetes Programs for Indians (SDPI), which is set to expire in September, moved one step closer to reauthorization on March 24.

The House of Representatives passed HR 4302, a bill that contained a one-year reauthorization of the SDPI.

Proponents of the SDPI reauthorization were pushing for a five-year reauthorization of the program instead of the yearly reauthorization that has occurred in recent times.

However, the Medicare/Medicaid bill the reauthorization is traditionally included in is controversial due to the high price tag associated with it.

In order to limit debate on the other items contained in the bill, the House opted to simply pass an across the board one-year extension to all provisions by voice vote.

The Senate version, S 2110, was introduced on March 11, 2014, by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and contains a five-year reauthorization.

The bill was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar on March 12, 2014, by unanimous consent and is expected to be called by a vote of the full Senate by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., within the next couple of days.

Congress established the SDPI in 1997 to address the growing epidemic of diabetes in the American Indian and Alaska Natives communities. Native communities have the highest rates of type 2 diabetes in the nation, with the current the rate hovering at 2.8 times the national average.

The SDPI is set to expire on Sept. 30, 2014, unless Congress acts to renew it.

For more information contact Carolyn Drouin, government and legislative affairs associate at cdrouin@nnwo.org

WASHINGTON—On Feb. 25 and 26, Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly met with the U.S. Department of Justice as a member of the Tribal Nations Leadership Council (TNLC).

During the two days of meetings, President Shelly raised a number of important issues with the department and the attorney general, including the need to protect water tables and groundwater quality; the need for the federal government to work closely with the Navajo Nation to ensure that economic development and environmental protection go hand-in-hand; and the need to address the root of social problems on the Navajo Nation, including culture loss and poverty, rather than just focusing on the symptoms such as substance abuse and crime.

President Shelly also expressed concern over the funding available for law enforcement, saying that with less than one officer available per 1,000 people, the Navajo Nation must have enough funding to provide an equal amount of officers as a similarly situated rural area.

DOJ officials praised President Shelly’s words, saying that they need to hear messages like his so that they know what is really going on in Indian country.

Created in 2010 by Attorney General Eric Holder to advise him on issues critical to tribal communities, the TNLC meets twice a year with DOJ and the Attorney General.

The TNLC serves to facilitate dialog and coordinate efforts between DOJ and tribal governments and to further the government-to-government relationship.

For more information contact Brian Quint, government and legislative affairs associate bquint@nnwo.org

Photo: TNLC members. Photo by Leo Hoskie / OPVP.

WASHINGTON— Navajo Nation officials provided the nation's fiscal 2016 budget priorities today to the Tribal Interior Budget Council. The Navajo Nation budget priorities include natural resources, public safety and justice, education, human services and contract support costs.

Tribal leaders representing the other 11 Bureau of Indian Affairs regions also presented their budget priorities to U.S. Department of Interior officials including Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn. The previous day included updates from White House officials and other federal agency representatives.

The Navajo Nation’s request for natural resource projects is $8.9 million. Under public safety, the request is $33.8 million for law enforcement. Law enforcement within the Navajo Nation receive and respond to more than 250,000 service calls per year.

The request for tribal courts is $19 million. The request includes funding for facility maintenance and operations for three new judicial facilities in the Navajo Nation, funding for criminal investigations and adult detention. Currently, the Navajo Nation funds 92 percent of the tribal court system out of general funds, while the federal government funds only 8 percent.

Navajo Nation officials also addressed the need for adequate funding for education. The request for scholarships and adult education is $583,785. Sixty percent of the 17,615 applicants for scholarships in 2012 were denied awards.

The request for the Johnson O’Malley Program (JOM) is $4.3 million. JOM serves more than 49,000 eligible American Indian students, age three to the 12th grade, on or near the Navajo Nation. JOM assists with educational needs, support and opportunities, basic school programs, plus college and career ready education needs.

Under human services, the request is $38.8 million and includes funding for welfare assistance, social services, prevention and treatment and housing improvement.

The request for contract support costs is $545,979.

“Advocating for the Navajo Nation and communicating our unique, large land-based needs is critically important. Due to our land and population size and rural nature, we have to ensure that we are getting our fair share of federal dollars that are part of the federal government's trust and treaty obligations. The presence of all three Navajo Nation branch representatives speaks to how significant our funding issues are,” stated Navajo Nation Washington Office Executive Director Clara Pratte.

The Tribal Interior Budget Council will reconvene in May.

Photo: Chief of Staff for the Navajo Nation executive branch Arbin Mitchell and Navajo Nation Washington Office executive director Clara Pratte present at the TIBC. Photo by Jared King / NNWO

WASHINGTON—Navajo Nation Vice President Rex Lee Jim advocated for funding of native language learning programs and schools across Indian Country at a briefing hosted by the National Alliance to Save Native Languages.

This briefing was aimed to raise awareness about S 1948, the Native Language Immersion Student Achievement Act, introduced by Sens Jon. Tester, D-Mont., Tim Johnson, D-S.D., Mark Begich, D-Alaska and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii to preserve Native languages and help strengthen Indian culture and education.

The bill would create a new grant program within Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to support the use of Native American languages as the primary language of instruction at schools located within the tribe whose language would be used or that serve students of that tribe.

“The Navajo Nation fully supports and commends Senator Tester on the introduction of S 1948, the Native Languages Immersion Student Achievement Act,” stated Vice President Jim.

Vice President Jim emphasized the need to invest in language immersion programs and schools and said the grant created by this bill would help schools like the Tséhootsooí Diné Bi'ólta school located in Fort Defiance, Arizona.

Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Heidi Heidkampt, D-N.D., are co-sponsors of the bill. Representative Tom Cole, R-Okla., is expected to introduce a companion bill in the House chamber.

WASHINGTON—On March 27, Navajo Nation Speaker Johnny Naize (Low Mountain, Many Farms, Nazlini, Tachee/Blue Gap, Tselani/Cottonwood) and Council Delegate Edmund Yazzie (Churchrock, Iyanbito, Mariano Lake, Pinedale, Smith Lake, Thoreau) testified before the House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs regarding HR 3822, the Fort Wingate Land Division Act of 2014.

Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., introduced the bill in January as an alternative to a bill introduced by Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., in the 112th Congress. The bill is a result of collaborative effort between the Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo to resolve differences over a longstanding issue.

HR 3822 seeks to return tribal lands to the Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo as previously agreed to by both tribes in a 1997 memorandum of agreement.

“Our land is everything to our people, to our culture and to our way of life. The bill reflects the beginning of a long awaited close to dividing land. This land represents an important historic and cultural legacy. It was at Fort Wingate where our Navajo Code Talkers were first inducted into the defense of the United States,” stated Speaker Naize.

Speaker Naize thanked Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska and Rep. Luján for their strong representation of the Navajo Nation, for help in resolving the land division and for introducing a better alternative to the Pearce legislation. HR 3822 reflects a plan that was mutually agreed upon by the Navajo Nation Fort Wingate Task Force and Zuni representatives.

During his testimony, Delegate Yazzie underscored local chapter opposition to the bill.

Speaker Naize emphasized that the Navajo Nation Council has not opposed or supported the measure.

“Throughout the process the Navajo Nation advocated strongly for its interests and this end result, while not perfect, represents a good faith effort by both tribes,” said Speaker Naize.

Speaker Naize suggested several changes and corrections to the bill based on community input. Notably, both Speaker Naize and Delegate Yazzie emphasized the need to restrict gaming and address environmental concerns.

In closing, Chairman Young emphasized the need to bring this matter to an end to avoid the land returning to the public sphere.

WASHINGTON—Representatives of the Navajo Hopi Land Commission traveled to Washington for meetings with Congress and the White House concerning the Office of Navajo Hopi Indian Relocation (ONHIR) and the need to provide funds for rehabilitation of the former Bennett Freeze.

Of particular concern to the Commission members was OHNIR’s shift away from relocating and housing families displaced by the Navajo Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974, and to a prolonged tactic of engaging in lengthy and costly appeals in an attempt to deny relocation benefits.

The Navajo Hopi Land Commission has long advocated for greater oversight over ONHIR and the need for the appointment of an executive director to properly manage the office’s work.

Navajo Council Delegates Walter Phelps (Cameron, Coalmine Canyon, Birdsprings, Leupp, Tolani Lake) and Lorenzo Curley (Klagetoh, Wide Ruins, Houck, Lupton, Nahata Dziil) also discussed a proposed Navajo Sovereignty Empowerment Zone that would streamline the federal approval process on selected lands and the former Bennett Freeze to expedite development and rehabilitation. 

The commissioners were in Washington from March 10 to 12 and had meetings with representatives of the Navajo Nation’s congressional delegation, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs the Senate Finance Committee, and the House Interior Appropriations and Indian and Alaskan Native Affairs Sub-committees.

The council delegates also raised concerns involving the Peshlakai family during their meeting with the White House Senior Policy Adviser for Native American Affairs, Jodi Gillette.

The Peshlakai family are involved in a dispute with the National Park Service regarding their right to remain on their traditional lands.

"It was a privilege to meet with the Obama Administrations Office of Native American Affairs, it gave us a great opportunity to relay a number of interests relating to the relocation program including the need for rehabilitation of the former Bennett Freeze Area,” said Delegate Phelps.

“In addition, it also provided us an opportunity to discuss the situation involving the Peshlakai family; this has the potential to impact other indigenous peoples whom reside within National Park lands," Phelps added.

The congressional delegation is working with the land commission to introduce their amendment to the Navajo Hopi Land Settlement Act before Congress adjourns for the August recess.

Delegate Phelps will testify before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies in April.

Photo: Council Delegates Walter Phelps (L) and Lorenzo Curley with White House Senior Policy Adviser for Native American Affairs Jodi Gillette.