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by Levi Rickert
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On Saturday, President Joe Biden signed a funding package of six bills that will fund federal budget programs this fiscal year.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“This bipartisan bill provides critical funding to keep our promise to tribes and support tribal communities and families, including proactively ensuring the Indian Health Service can serve patients. That includes continuing to provide funding,” Sen. Murray said in a statement.
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Sen. Murray’s office outlined the funding package. 6 Learn more about invoice packages. here.The text of the law is available here.
Funding for American Indian and Alaska Native programs spans multiple federal departments. The majority of funding allocated to Indian Nations is included in the budgets of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Indian Health Service (IHS).
The breakdown of the funds allocated to the country of India is as follows:
Key Points and Highlights – Tribal Program
Tribal program: The bill provides a total of $10.88 billion for tribal programs across the Department of the Interior and the Indian Health Service.
Health and welfare services
Indian Health Service (IHS): The bill provides $6.96 billion (an increase of $3.6 million over fiscal year 2023) to IHS to maintain vital health services and maintain current staffing levels of doctors, nurses, and health services staff. provide. Importantly, the bill also continues the practice of pre-appropriation to the IHS, which was provided for the first time in history in fiscal year 2024. The bill provides for a pre-appropriation of $5.19 billion in fiscal year 2025 to ensure budget certainty for health systems that provide health care services. It provides medical services to her 2.5 million people across India. This advance appropriation will provide the funds necessary for IHS to provide essential medical services to patients in the coming year. Finally, the bill provides a $61.4 million increase in staffing for newly constructed facilities to ensure IHS has the health care providers it needs to meet increased patient demand. .
internal affairs department
Supporting tribal autonomy and essential services: By maintaining the level of tribal priority allocations established in fiscal year 2023, the bill protects essential government services in key areas such as roads, housing improvements, natural resource protection, tribal courts, economic development, and social services. are doing. These budget lines are the lifeblood of tribal governments exercising their right to self-determination and are critical to protecting the federal government’s fiduciary responsibilities.
Tribal public safety and justice: The bill provides $555.5 million in fiscal year 2023 for resources for police services, special efforts to address missing and murdered Native Americans, tribal courts, detention and corrections. This protects funds to support and invest in tribal public safety and justice programs. officials.
Sustaining investment in tribal schools: The bill would provide $1.13 billion in fiscal year 2023 to support the school system of 183 schools and 33 tribal colleges and universities that serve approximately 57,000 students. , which protects the operation of the Indian Education Bureau’s Indian Education Program. This includes funding to support school operating requirements, staffing, operating costs, native language programs, scholarships, school connectivity and distance learning capabilities. Protecting these investments will improve the delivery of educational opportunities and services to Native American students.
Tribal sovereignty payments: This bill fully funds tribal sovereignty payments consisting of contract support costs and 105(l) lease payments. These are payments required to fund tribal expenses for self-government under the Indian Self-Determination Educational Assistance Act.
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EDA support
EDA support: $5 million for EDA’s Indigenous Community Support Program. A new grant program focused solely on the economic development needs of tribal governments and indigenous communities.
Support for crime victims: The Crime Victims Fund (CVF) provides critical support through direct assistance and programs provided by victim service providers to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking, and other violent crimes. I am. The bill releases $1.35 billion from the CVF, exceeding the President’s budget request by $153 million. Of that amount, $67.65 million will go toward efforts to assist tribal victims.
State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement support: The Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program is funded with $924 million. His $345 million will be released to states and territories from Byrne JAG’s core funding. The COPS jobs program is funded with $256 million. This funding will also help him put more than 2,000 police officers on the streets of our communities. Funding also includes programs to support police mental health and wellness ($10 million), purchase of body-worn cameras ($32 million) and bulletproof vests ($30 million), and local law enforcement needs ($7 million). contained.
The bill also includes provisions that would allow the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to access additional funding to implement broadband programs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, including all 50 states and the District of Columbia. , assisting grantees in Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. territory. These programs are essential to connecting all Americans to fast, affordable broadband and include the Digital Equity Act Program, the Middle Mile Program, and the Tribal Connectivity Program.
energy
Tribal Energy: This bill provides $70 million for Indian energy policies and programs. This funding will help keep her 30,000 homes in the tribe without access to electricity powered.
Transportation facilities
Highways and bridges: The bill provides $62.991 billion for federally-aided highways, matching spending levels from the Highway Trust Fund authorized by IIJA, and provides an additional $2.225 billion for highway infrastructure programs. This includes $250 million for the New Bridge Bundle Grant Program, $150 million for the Tribal Transportation Program, $100 million for the Appalachian Development Highway System, $7.5 million for the Scenic Byway, and other important funding. Includes investment.
Tribal transportation infrastructure: TThe bill includes $25 million to supplement the Local and Tribal Infrastructure Pilot Program to provide financial, legal, technical, and project development assistance to improve tribal access to DOT’s transportation infrastructure programs. Dollars included. Also included is his $150 million in FHWA’s Tribal Transportation Program and his $500,000 in transportation technical assistance to tribes.
housing
Expanding access to tribal housing assistance: This bill provides a record $1.344 billion for the Indigenous Housing Block Grant Program. Through this historic level of funding and continued investment in the Tribal Housing and Related Agency Infrastructure Interagency Task Force, this bill will nearly double the likelihood that residents will live in poverty and poverty. India will be a huge step forward in addressing the nation’s dire housing needs. They are almost three times more likely to live in overcrowded conditions than other households in the United States.
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