FEDERAL BUDGET
HOME Investment Partnership
Program. Of the $1.65 billion requested for
FY 20001 for this program, $24 million is to
be set aside for Housing Counseling
Assistance programs. Of that amount, 5
percent, or $1.2 million, is set side for
housing counseling assistance for
Native Americans.
Labor, HHS, and Education
Labor
Employment and Training. The
only specific Indian funding in Labor is a
Native American program under the
Employment and Training Administration. The
President’s FY 2001 budget is requesting
$55 million for grants to Indian tribes and
other Native American groups to provide
training, work experience, and other
employment-related services. This
compares with $58 million made available
in FY 2000 and is a reduction of 5 percent.
Health & Human Services
Health Resources and Services
Administration. The Hawaiian Native
Health Care Act programs are funded under
this heading. After the Supreme Court
decision in the Rice v. Cayetano case,
special programs for Hawaiian Natives may
be in some legal jeopardy.
Administration for Children and
Families. Under the Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families program, $7 million, the
same as appropriated last year, is being
requested for tribal work programs.
Under the Low-Income Home
Energy Assistance Program, Indian tribes
are eligible for grants to aid low-income
people with high energy costs. The FY 2001
budget is requesting a total of $1.4 billion for
the overall program.
A major program under the Children
and Families Services Programs is the
Head Start program. For FY 2001, the
President’s budget requests $6.267 billion
for Head Start as compared with a total of
$5.267 billion for FY 2000. While there is no
set-aside for Indian tribes, Indian Head Start
programs are a vital part of the Head
Start program.
Funding also is made available
under the Children and Families Services
Programs for the Administration for Native
Americans under the Native American
Programs Act of 1974. The President’s FY
2001 request for ANA is $44 million. This
is an increase of $9 million over the FY 2000
appropriation.
Administration on Aging. The
President’s budget request for AOA for FY
2001 is $1.083 billion as compared with the
FY 2000 appropriation of $934,285,000,
which is an increase of $148,715,000 or 16
percent. Indian tribes are eligible applicants
for funding under this program. The budget
request states:
"That in considering grant applications
for nutrition services for elderly Indian
recipients, the assistant secretary shall
provide maximum flexibility to applicants
who seek to take into account subsistence,
local customs, and other characteristics that
are appropriate to the unique cultural,
regional, and geographic needs of the
American Indians, Alaska and Hawaiian
Native communities to be served. ”
Education
grants to tribally controlled post-secondary
institutions. This is the same amount made
available in FY 2000.
Higher Education. Under the
heading “Aid for Institutional Development,”
the President’s FY 2001 budget requests $9
million for strengthening tribal colleges as
compared with the FY 2000 appropriation
of $6 million. In addition, it includes $5
million for strengthening Alaska and Native
Hawaiian institutions, the same as last year.
Transportation
The Department of Transportation
FY 2001 budget requests set out the
allocation of funding from the Highway Trust
Fund as provided in the Transportation
Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).
The Indian Reservation Road (IRR)
program, part of the Federal Lands
Highways program, is funded from this
allocation. For FY 2001, the President’s
request is for an IRR allocation of $275
million. Of this amount, $75, million is added
as a part of the Revenue Aligned
Budget Authority.
In addition, the budget request would
earmark $1.2 million for training on
reservations or training that would benefit
Native Americans.
Impact Aid. The Impact Aid program
authorization has expired and is being
considered for reauthorization under the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA) reauthorization legislation. Last
year, Impact Aid was funded at
$910,500,000. The President’s FY 2001
request, as a part of the ESEA
reauthorization, is $768 million.
School Improvement Programs.
The President’s budget request for this
program is based upon the administration’s
proposal for ESEA reauthorization. Under
the administration’s new proposal, Education
for Native Hawaiians and Alaska Native
Veterans
Education Equity funding would be at $23
Native American Veteran Housing
million and $13 million respectively. Again,
Loan Program. The FY 2001 budget
however, the Cayetano decision could
requests $532,000 for the administrative
have implications for the Hawaiian
expense for this program, which can be
Native program.
Indian Education. As a part of its transferred to the “general operating
expenses” account of the department. The
proposed ESEA reauthorization, the
budget
request notes that:
President’s budget request for FY 2001 for
"The Native American Veterans
the Indian education programs under Title
Housing Loan Program provides direct
IX, part A of ESEA is $116 million. This is
loans to veterans living on trust lands under
an increase of $39 million over the FY 2000
38 U.S.C. chapter37, section 3761. These
appropriation of $77 million. If the funding
loans are available to purchase, construct,
request survives congressional action, this
or improve homes to be occupied as the
would mean that $93 million would be
veteran’s residence. The principal amount
available for grants to local educational
of a loan under this authority is generally
agencies, $20 million would be available for
limited to $80,000, except in areas where
special programs for Indian children, and
$3 million would be available for housing costs are significantly higher than
the average costs nationwide. This is a pilot
national activities.
program that began in 1993 and is
School Renovation Program
authorized through Dec. 31,2000. ’’
Account. Under this new administration
initiative, for which the budget requests $1.3
billion, $50 million would be made available
Environmental Protection
to local Indian education agencies for school
Agency
renovation. Public schools in which 50
State and Tribal Assistance
percent or more of the students reside on
Grants. The President’s FY 2001 request
Indian land would be eligible for these grants
for this broad program is $2,906,957,000, a
or loans.
significant reduction from the FY 2000
Vocational and Adult Education.
appropriation of $3,466,650.000. Indian
Under Vocational Education, the President’s
FY 2001 request seeks $5 million for
(See Federal on page 26)
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