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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 1978)
JANUARY 10. 1978 PAGE 5 Favorable Legislation Moves Quietly Through Capitol First preference in place dian Self-Determination Act by adding a third title to that law ment would go to members of (P.L. 93-638). It would enable the child’s extended family, then tribes to be awarded single to Indian homes on reservations, grants consolidating some or all or to tribally licensed homes. of the BIA and IHS services Tribes would be able to request currently contractable separate transfer of placement cases from state to tribal courts. ly. Tribally - Controlled Com According to Mark Phillips of Jay Edwards Associates, the munity College Assistance Act - single grant mechanism will eli The Senate bill was passed No minate much of the red tape and vember 4 authorizing $125,000 paperwork that exists under the plus $5,850 for each full-time current system which requires student for the operation of single contracts for each ser eligible institutions. The total three-year appropriation would vice. But Warm Springs’ Grants amount to $95 million. In addi Planner, Art Tassie, feels that tion, the bill requires that a the legislation is unnecessary Department of Interior study be since this reservation is cur conducted on the need for facil rently able, under one docu ity construction and renovation. The House bill is similar, ment, to process several con tracts at one time. “It sounds but with less per student allo revolutionary, but it doesnt cation and the authorization of allow us to do anything we can’t such funds as may be necessary to carry out a construction do right now,” he remarked. However, the legislation program. Phillips of Jay Ed may be of benefit to other tribes, wards Associates said he expect permitting better long range ed the House bill to eventually planning. The bill has been reflect the Senate bill’s provi referred to the Senate Select sion. Hearings have been held by Committee on Indian Affairs, the Education and Labor Post where it is pending. Indian Child Welfare Act - secondary Education Sub-Com mittee, with additional hearings Passed by the Senate on Nov discussed. ember 4, this bill has been refer being Indian Tribal Tax Act - red to the Interior Sub-Commit out of the House Ways tee on Indian Affairs and Public Reported Lands. Hearings were held Feb and Means Committee, there has been as yet no floor action ruary 9. The bill establishes stand on this bill which would (a) make contributions to tribal ards for the placement of Indian governments tax exempt, (b) children in foster and adoptive people who pay taxes to a homes and authorizes the estab enable tribal government to deduct lishment of family development them from their federal taxes, centers on reservations. Dozens of moccasined feet are beginning their “Longest Walk” to the nation’s capitol and delegations of Indian leaders are meeting regularly and heatedly among themselves and with their congressmen to register their opposition to numerous “backlash” or anti-Indian bills that now are before Congress. In the meantime several pieces of proposed legislation generally considered to be favor able to Indian people are quietly making their way into commit tees and onto the House and Senate floors. Ranging from the protection of Indian religions to the extended life of the Senate Select Sub-Committee on Indian SENATOR ABOUREZK Affairs, the bills cover a lot of territory but in smaller, less programs they are administer dramatic steps. Reviewed here are nine ing. These reports would be cir soon-to-be-introduced and pend culated among the Indian tribes ing bills and resolutions that for review and comment and may bode well for the Confed submitted to the . Secretary and erated Tribes and people Assistant Secretary of the Inter throughout Indian country. ior. SOON TO BE INTRODUCED Bill to Extend the Life of the Tribal-State Compact Act of Senate Select Sub-Committee on 1978 - Written by Senator James Indian Affairs - The Sub-Com Abourezk (D-S.D.) who plans to mittee on Indian Affairs was set introduce it any time, the bill up at the beginning of the 95th would authorize the states and Congress to handle Indian legis Indian tribes to enter into lation only for the duration of mutual agreements and com that session. An attached proviso pacts regarding jurisdiction and specified that thé Committee governmental operations in In would at the end of the 95th Congress become a sub-commit dian country. As a means of resolving tee df the Senate Full Committee jurisdictional disputes, the on ( Human Resources. mechanism suggested by the bill However, Senators Abour would allow mutual agreements ezk, Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) at a local level without the and George McGovern (D-SD) are sponsoring a bill that would restrictions of federal law. Background language of the keep the Sub-Committee active bill reads: “There is need for through the next Congressional clarification of the jurisdiction Session. of the respective tribes and the PENDING state and local governments; American Indian Religious but this clarification need not be Freedom (S.J.R. 102) - The in premised on the destruction of troduction of this resolution in one government to clarify the the Senate by Sen. Abourezk authority of the other. By the December 15 during Human same token, the tribes and the Rights Week was a ceremonious states cannot continue to meet occasion attended by a delega their respective governmental tion of religious leaders from the responsibilities in total isolation Nation. from each other. In recent years Yakima The resolution ensures the there have been cooperative rights of American Indians, agreements between states and Eskimos and Native Hawaiians tribes regarding the operations to access to religious sites, use of their governments, and there and possession of sacred objects are increasing expressions of and the freedom to worship interest from state and tribal through ceremonial and tradi authorities to enter into com rites. pacts and agreements respect tional Recognizing Indian religious ing their mutual authorities and practices as “integral parts of responsibilities. It is the respon their culture, tradition, and heri sibility of the Congress to facili tage....forming the basis of In tate this process.” dian identity and value sys The Tribal-State Compact tems,” the resolution intends to Act is presently being circulated for the “lack of a clear, among Congressmen for com ‘ adjust comprehensive, consistent fed ment and co-sponsorship, said eral policy” that “has often Mark Phillips, a member of Jay resulted in the abridgment of Edwards Associates lobbying religious freedom for traditional firm in D.C. American Indians.” Indian Program Evaluation S.J.R. 102 was co-sponsored and Needs Assessment Act of by Sens. Hubert Humphrey 1978 - Also written by Sen. (D-MN), Edward Kennedy Abourezk and being circulated (-MA), Daniel Inouye (D-Ha- for comment and cosponsorship waii), Spark Matsunaga (D- is a bill that would require all Hawaii), Mike Gravel (D- federal agencies doing Indian Alaska), Ted Stevens (R-Alas- business to make annual reports ka), Mark Hatfield (R-OR), on what they did and how much Dewey Bartlett (D-OK), and they spent on grants and con Barry Goldwater (R-AZ). tracts for Indian services. The resolution protecting Reports would be submitted and preserving American Indian by July 30 of each year to the religious freedom will be intro Secretary of the Interior and the duced in the House later this Assistant Secretary for Indian month by Rep. Morris Udal Affairs, to be collected into one (D-AZ), chairman of the House single annual report to Congress. Interior Committee. The second part of the bill would require all federal agen cies to draw up needs assess * ment reports on the projected needs of the Indian tribes with whom they do business and the' Self Determination Act Amend- mentj(S-2460) Introduced by Sen. Abourezk on January 31, this piece of legislation would amend the In- and (c) allow tribal govern ments to issue tax exempt bonds (except for industrial and com mercial activities other than on- reservation utility services and industrial development. A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Oregon) and is now pending in the Senate Finance Committee’s Sub-Com mittee on Taxation and Debt Management. The National Energy Act - Small Hydroelectric Projects - Of particular interest to the Warm Springs Reservation be cause of tentative plans to in stall generators in the Pelton Re-regulating Dam, this small portion of the bogged-down energy bill would authorize a Department of Energy loan pro gram to encourage the develop ment of small hydroelectric facilities at existing dams. Loans of up to 90 per cent of the cost of feasibility studies for hydro projects could be granted to the owners of a dam. House and Senate conferees have agreed on this portion of the bill but are hung up on crude oil and natural gas segments of the energy bill. If it becomes apparent that the whole energy bill cannot be reported out of conference as one big package, the section containing the hydro electric projects may be separ ated out, according to Phillips. (Thanks to Jay Edwards Associates, Vince Lovett’s In dian News Notes, and the Sho- Ban News for much of the above information.) American Indian Programs Via NASA Satellite Crow .Agency, Montana — Canadian governments, has ■ The first practical demonstra-- , transmitting power levels 10 to tion of a communications satel 20 times greater than previous lite’s ability to provide televised communications satellites. Pro educational material program gramming can be beamed to all med exclusively for American 50 states and all areas of Indians will take place at the Canada. CTS has a stationary Crow Agency, Montana, and a orbit, renfaining above a point off the west coast of South second site (still to be selected) America. in early April, 1978, according to According to NASA engineer a joint announcement by the Jerry Elliott, an Osage Indian, Crow Agency here and the American Indian Communica “We want to see American In dians benefit from space-age tions Center (ComCenter), Los technology and CTS is one-of the Angeles. According to the announce most advanced forms of com munications satellites in exist ment, demonstration broadcasts ence. The potential for education lasting up to three hours each is virtually unlimited.” Elliott, will take place on April 10, 12 who has been involved in the and 14, with the programming CTS project from the outset, was beamed from the Communica the first to see potential in the tions Technology Satellite (CTS) to the Montana and other loca concept for American Indians. Jerry Thompson, (Chero tions, where representatives kee), founder of the American from many tribes are expected Indian Communications Center, to gather. noted that the ComCenter is The National Aeronautics currently working on acquiring and Space Administration ’s relevant program material for (NASA) CTS satellite, a joint the demonstration. “We’re work- development of the U.S. and ing with the Crow Agency’s Central Education Commission to present programs which will expose the full range of com munications potential.” Subjects can include general education, health care, cultural heritage, agriculture, weather and techni cal instruction. Also possible, due to CTS’s two-way communi cation capabilities, are inter tribal conferences. “By making it ultimately possible to reach the broadest number of reservation, urban and rural Indians with a single broadcast,” noted Elliott, “com munication by satellite repre sents the most exciting method on the horizon for improving the quality of American Indian life through education and commun ication.” For further information, contact Sam Windy Boy, (Chip pewa-Cree), demonstration site coordinator, at Box 370, Crow Agency, Montana, 59022. (406) 638-2337. Get Stuck? Here's Some Advice Many people, and you know who you are, have been getting stuck recently on or near the reservation. One of the many ways to prevent getting stuck, is to be familiar with the area you’re going to and know the condition of the roads you’ll be using. For anyone who is planning to travel on uncertain roads or gets stuck on them, Terry Lu ther of the Natural Resources department has some advice. TRIP PREPARATION Leave a note or tell some- one the route you plan to take and what time you will return. Equip your vehicle with emergency gear: shovel, jack, axe, flashlight, first aid kit, blankets, food, matches, etc. EMERGENCY MEASURES If you have a C.B. radio monitor channel 9. If you can walk out “safely” do so. Leave a note with your vehicle stating what time you left the vehicle and the road or directiorf you took. Take notice of landmarks in the immediate area. This infor- mation is important to pinpoint your location. If you are injured or do not know what direction to go to get help - STAY WITH THE VEHICLE. Do not try to walk out during the night. If you walk out notify the Police Dept, as soon as possible that you are safe. Individuals who are looking for lost persons should coordi nate with agencies involved in the search and rescue opera tions.
