Siletz news /, May 01, 2000, Page 23, Image 23

___ ____________ FEDERAL BUDGET
Money Available for Indian Tribes from Federal Budget
The following was prepared by
Ducheneaux, Taylor & Associates, the tribe’s
consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Indian
tribes are often eligible for funding assistance
from federal agencies other than the Bureau
of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health
Service, which are coveredin the Department
of the Interior appropriations legislation. Tribes
also may be able to seek funding from other
federal programs. This listing is from
President Clinton’s FY2001 budget.
Agriculture
The President’s fiscal year 2001
appropriations request for Agriculture
includes the following specific provision for
Indian tribes:
Native American Institutions
Endowment Fund. The President’s request
for this program, to establish a Native
American Institutions Endowment Fund as
authorized by Public Law 103-382, for FY
2001 is $7.1 million. This is $2.5 million over
the FY 2000 appropriation of $4.6 million This
program provides for an endowment for the
1994 land-grant institutions (30 tribally
controlled community colleges) to
strengthen the infrastructure of these
institutions and develop Indian expertise for
the fdod and agricultural sciences and
businesses and for their own communities.
This is an increase of 54 percent over the
FY 2000 appropriation.
Agriculture Extension Activities.
The President’s request for agricultural
extension activities on Indian reservations
is for $5 million for FY 2001. This increase
more than doubles the FY 2000
appropriation of $1,714,000.
Agriculture Credit Insurance Fund
Program Account. Included in this general
account is a tribal land acquisition credit
program. The President’s request for FY
2001 is for an appropriation of $323,000 to
support $2,006,000 in guaranteed loans to
tribes for land acquisition as authorized by
section 488 of Title 25, United States Code.
This compares with a loan level of
$1,028,000 in FY 2000.
Natural Resource Conservation
Service. Under the heading of Conservation
Operations, the President’s request would
make available $654 million for planning
conservation programs and installing
needed conservation systems. Although
there is no set-aside for tribes, they
are eligible applicants for this
technical assistance.
Rural Community Advancement
Program. Under this heading, which
supports rural water/sewe[, community
facilities, and business-cooperative
development, the President’s budget
requests a total of $762,542,000. There is a
specific set-aside for Indian tribes of $24
million, which is double the FY 2000
appropriation of $12 million. The budget
request notes that the Indian set-aside would
be available for funding rural community
facilities, rural utilities, and rural business
and cooperative development.
Rural Community Fire Protection
Grants. The President’s request for FY 2001
seeks $40 million for this program as
opposed to an appropriation of $29 million
for FY 2000. Indian tribes are eligible for
these grants under section 7 of the
Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of
1978 to organize, train, and equip local
firefighting forces.
Food Stamp Program. Under this
heading, the President’s FY 2001
appropriation request includes $54 million
for commodity food distribution on Indian
reservations and $23 million for ‘Cooperator
administrative expenses for such
distribution. This compares with the FY2000
appropriation of $54 million and $21 million,
respectively.
State, Private, and International
Forestry. As a part of the President’s Land
Legacy Initiative for FY 2001, $6 million
would be made available, through the Rural
Business Cooperative Service, to carry out
an intermediate lending program with state
and local governments, non-profits, and
Indian tribes to support land acquisition and
land uses that enhance smart growth, etc.
With such a small amount of funds, tribal
applications should be well documented and
very early in the process - assuming this
request survives congressional action
While the above-noted programs are
the only Agriculture appropriations
provisions specifically relating to Indian
tribes, it should be noted that the Act does
include funding for nutrition programs,
including child nutrition and WIC. Also, while
many agriculture programs do not make
provision for Indian tribes, Indian people
involved in agriculture production may well
be eligible for various kinds of assistance in
their individual capacity.
Commerce, Justice
and State
Funding for the Departments of
Commerce and Justice is included in the
Commerce, Justice and State, the Judiciary,
and Related Agencies appropriations. Both
the Commerce and Justice FY 2001 budget
requests contain some funding for
Indian tribes.
Commerce
Economic
Development
Administration. The only program in
Commerce that has specific funding
available for Indian tribes is the Economic
Development Administration. Although there
is no set-aside for tribes, they are eligible to
apply for grant funding. The President’s FY
2001 request for EDA is $409,250,000, an
increase over the FY 2000 budget of
$361,879,000. The budget request notes that
"EDA will strengthen its efforts to assist
American Indian tribes and Alaskan Native
villages by providing capacity building and
developing finance and infrastructure
projects needed to enable these
communities to be more effective
and competitive in their economic
development efforts. ”
Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery**
This program is administered under the
National Oceanic & Atmospheric
Administration in Commerce. The FY 2001
request for this program is for $160 million,
$102 million more than the $58 million
appropriation for FY 2000. $100 million of the
increase is for the President’s new Lands
Legacy initiative. Overall, the purpose of this
program is to provide grants for state, tribal,
and local conservation efforts in California,
Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.
Unfortunately, as now administered, tribes
must seek their funding from the
state governor.
Justice
The Justice Department continues
to be a source of funding for tribes in the
area
of
law
enforcement
and
justice programs.
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The President’s budget seeks an increase
for the FBI of nearly $1 billion dollars. The
request notes that $4.6 million of this
increase is to be used for enhanced
investigations in Indian country.
Office of Justice Programs (OJP).
Funding is provided for the several
programs in the Office of Justice Programs
in the Department of Justice. While most of
this funding is provided to states through
block grants, it is becoming an increasingly
valuable source of funding for Indian tribes.
State & Local Law Enforcement
Assistance. The President’s FY 2001
request for funding under this general
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