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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1998)
2 Native News Smoke Signals Native health and commerce under fire By Oscar Johnson Northwest tribal leaders last month highlighted key legislative issues likely to adversely effect the future of health and commerce in Indian Country. Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Council members were among sev eral Native delegations at the Northwest Tribal Lead ership Symposium where a congressional update honed-in on federally funded health care and the pending tobacco bill. The three-day confer ence was held in Portland by the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) and gathered leaders from northwestern states such as Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Future congressional budget allocations for In dian Health Services (IHS) were a chief concern among many at the group's legislative update on Tuesday. Currently, the average non-military American has nearly two and one-half times more money for health care than any one of the 1.5 mil lion Native Americans serviced by IHS. Although President Clinton's 1999 budget pro posal seeks an additional $44 "million for such ser vices, Congressional allocations have fallen short of IHS budget requests by an average of $116 mil lion per year since Republicans took over Con gress in 1996. Democrats project next year's bud get will fall short by nearly $500 million. At ATNI's congressional update last month IHS Director, Dr. Michael Trujillo presented an over view of budget expectations. He underlined an over all tightening of federal spending likely to effect IHS's ability to provide health care treatment and prevention to Indians living on or near reservations. Trujillo called attention to a bill last month signed by the President allocating an additional five-year fund to grapple with Indian diabetes (presently 139 above the national average) and substance abuse prevention. The bill also grants an addi tional $100,000 for IHS to combat the spiraling rate of youth suicides on the Standing Rock Reser vation in South Dakota. However, Trujillo said that while such allocations were only temporary, budget cuts for sanitization, maintenance and clinical services in Indian Coun try are permanent. He also expressed concern over "the inability of Congress and the President's 1998 budget to iden tify the cost of tribes administering their own (health care) programs." He believes this could lead to more underfunded Native health services. The IHS Director expressed optimism, however, over impending tobacco legislation. Noting that Indian youth especially girls have one of the highest rates of smoking for their age group in the i. .v. . ' m . , ' .l;::;::.::V:;v,'';?: -'". H ,'. - - , N ,: I 58 ;) ... ' '.' " : SXH Pter 'X '.. ,jt MMIlir ,ltr' Currently, the average non-military American has nearly two and one-half times more money for health care than any one of the 1.5 million Native Americans serviced by IHS. Stan Speaks, BIA Director for the Portland Area Office, presents recent BIA issues with attendees of the ATNI Conference. U.S., Trujillo said money likely to be provided by the tobacco bill currently being debated in congress will fund smoking prevention programs. Treat ment for disproportionately high rates of smoking related diseases in Indians such as cancer, high blood pressure, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome are also in the pipeline, he said. But Native lobbyists, though speaking with a uni fied voice, indicated that the tobacco debate is a two-edged sword threatening Indian communities. While on the one hand, Trujillo and lobbyists hope new legislation will cause tobacco companies and new cigarette taxes to foot the bill for smoking related health care in Indian Country, veteran lob byist, Billy Frank, warned otherwise. The North west Indian Fisheries Commission Chairman said the tobacco bill could spell doom for Native busi nesses "by abrogating another treaty and another part of our trade and commerce.'' Drawing a parallel between Sen. Slade Gorton's (R-WA) legislative onslaught on tribal sovereign rights of commerce; and his account of deputized civilians stopping only Native-run cigarette trucks in Washington state, a fiery Frank told last month's symposium that "racism is well and healthy in the state of Washington." Although Frank acknowledges important health issues behind the tobacco debate, he believes the sovereign right of Indians to sell tobacco free from U.S. government imposed sales tax is also at stake. The President has proposed levying a lump sum tax of $1.50 per package of cigarettes. "There's a lot of money poured into that tobacco issue," Frank said. "If we don't have advocates in Congress advocating for Indian- people and their businesses and communities when the tobacco bill comes down the line (Sen. Gorton) has a lot of riders on that bill that will completely close down the Indian people and their stores throughout the nation." Earlier this month Sen. Gorton proposed section 604 of the tobacco bill (1415) that if passed would require tribes to collect and remit state tobacco taxes. In addition to restructuring current mutu ally agreeable statetribal accords between over 200 tribes and 18 states, the law would curtail much needed income for many poor tribal communities while imposing additional administrative cost on their governments. Many of the 16 tribal representatives attending the symposium, such as ATNI First Vice President, Antone Minthorne, stressed the need for a con solidated effort by Native individuals and tribes to combat what some perceive as a legislative war waged by a conservative congress against Indian sovereignty. "Congress continues to attack sovereignty through the legislative process," Minthorne warned delegates attending the session. The Umatilla rep resentative called on tribes to "join forces and share resources and information to fight the war on sov ereignty." He also encouraged individuals to "walk the talk" by seeking out ways to support such tribal efforts.
