Native American Report articles from February 2005

Native American Report archives from February 2005

New leadership at BIA.(Slants & Trends)(Bureau of Indian Affairs)
February 1, 2005... NEW LEADERSHIP AT BIA--David Anderson is out, and W. Patrick Ragsdale is in. After a year on the job--a year in which he was embroiled in some degree of controversy--Anderson announced he would leave his position as assistant secretary of...

President's FY06 budget calls for cuts in housing, BIA programs.(Slants & Trends)(Bureau of Indian Affairs)
February 1, 2005... Many programs for Native Americans would be cut under an extremely tight federal budget request for next year that President Bush sent to Congress this month. Little escaped the knife, with everything from Indian housing to education and...

HUD budget would take bite out of housing block grant, loan guarantee.(Housing)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Major Indian housing programs would suffer a blow under President Bush's budget request for next year. The Native American Housing Block Grant program would be funded at $583 million, down from $627 million in 2005, and that amount includes...

Leadership academies program would be piloted with $2 million.(Education)
February 1, 2005... A new $2 million program would be created to pilot leadership academies at Indian schools under President Bush's FY06 budget request. The program, to be housed at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, aims to upgrade Indian education by turning...

Bush requests $72 million raise for Indian Health Service budget.(Health)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The Indian Health Service (IHS) got one of the rare increases in the domestic budget, with President Bush seeking a gain of $72 million over current funding. The total request of $3.8 billion includes increases for: * Clinical...

BIA prisons see increases to redress concerns raised by interior report.(BIA)
February 1, 2005... Bureau of Indian Affairs programs would be cut overall next year, under a presidential budget request that falls $108.2 million short of current year funding. The $2.2 billion budget request, however, includes increases for the detention...

Indian gaming revenue is close to double the take at Nevada Casinos.
February 1, 2005... Indian gaming brought in $18.5 billion in revenue last year, an amount that is nearly double the take for Nevada's gambling industry, and tribal casinos are expecting the boom to continue. The 10 percent increase--from $16.7 billion in...

Opening of museum, record voter turnout made 2004 a banner year.
February 1, 2005... The year just past was nothing short of historic for the Native American community, with the opening of a national museum dedicated to Indians and a national election that saw record numbers of Indian voters. Those two seminal events,...

HUD official promises commitment to more funds for 'Livable' housing.(Housing and Urban Development Department)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Without giving details on how to fix the problem, a Bush administration official this month promised to increase funding for livable Native American housing. The Housing and Urban Development Department and the White House are "committed"...

Financial settlement reached in lobbying case with Tigua Tribe.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... A confidential financial settlement reportedly has been reached between a Texas tribe that paid $4.2 million to two Washington lobbyists and the former law firm of one of the lobbyists. The agreement, between the Tigua Tribe of El Paso and...

Peabody energy tries to shut down coal mine that benefits Hopi Tribe.
February 1, 2005... Below the wild grasses, topsoil and heavy chunks of rock on Black Mesa sits tons of coal, the source of power for much of the southwestern U.S. For more than 30 years, the Black Mesa mine and the adjoining Kayenta mine--both operated by...

GAO: tribal recognition backlog at BIA is still four years long.(General Accountability Office)(Bureau of Indian Affairs)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... It will take the Bureau of Indian Affairs at least four years to work through the backlog of petitions for tribal recognition, in news from the General Accountability Office (GAO) that is no news to the many tribes awaiting recognition. ...

Johnson Bill would grant charter to Veterans' Group.(Native American Indian Veterans Association)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The Native American Indian Veterans Association would be granted a federal charter, thereby becoming the voice for Indian veterans before Congress and the administration, under legislation introduced by Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.). The bill,...

Calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
February 1, 2005... * Feb. 28-March 2: The National Congress of American Indians holds its 2005 Executive Council Winter Session, Empowering Our Traditions Through Knowledge, in Washington, D.C. Contact: (202) 466-7767, www.ncai.org. * Aug. 1-6: The...

Sen. Campbell takes position with Washington law firm.(Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Longtime Indian Country friend and recently retired Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) has a new job in Washington: he is now senior policy advisor to the law firm of Holland & Knight. Campbell will serve in the Washington, D.C., firm's...

Voting rights lawsuit alleges districting violations in S.D.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... A federal lawsuit charges that the Charles Mix County, S.D., County Commission violated the voting rights of Native Americans by using election districts that are unequal in population and divide the Native American community. The...

Even start.(Federal Register)
February 1, 2005... * Even Start: Applications are due April 11 from federally recognized Indian tribes and tribal organizations for $4.975 million in grants under the Even Start Family Literacy Program in fiscal year 2005. The Education Department (ED) expects to...

Gaming compacts.(Federal Register)
February 1, 2005... * Gaming Compacts: Gaming compacts were approved between the Eastern Shawnee Tribe, Choctaw Tribe, Citizen Potawatomi Nation and the state of Oklahoma; between the Chickasaw Nation, Quapaw Tribe and the state of Oklahoma; and between the...

Gaming fee rates.(Federal Register)
February 1, 2005... * Gaming Fee Rates: Preliminary annual fee rates of 0.00% for tier 1 and 0.059% for tier 2 have been adopted for 2005. These rates apply to all assessable gross revenues from gaming operations under the jurisdiction of the National Indian...

ANA policies.(Federal Register)
February 1, 2005... * ANA Policies: Final rules and policy statements were published for the Administration for Native Americans on Native Language, Social and Economic Development Strategies and Environmental Regulatory Enhancement. The policy directive took...

Irrigation systems.(Federal Register)
February 1, 2005... * Irrigation Systems: BIA proposed rate adjustments for costs of administering, operating, maintaining and rehabilitating irrigation facilities located on Indian reservations. Comments are due April 4. Contact: Regional and local offices listed...

Interior initiative to link native groups with charitable donation agency.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... More charitable donations could flow to Native American communities under a new federal initiative announced this month. The initiative aims to provide information to tribes, tribal colleges and nonprofit Indian groups about Gifts in Kind,...

After-school programs.(Bureau of Indian Affairs)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... * After-School Programs: More after-school programs will be created in Indian Country, as a result of an agreement signed this month between the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The agreement encourages...

Electronic procurement.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... * Electronic Procurement: Tribes will be able to use the government's online procurement system for products and services under a cooperative agreement announced this month between the General Services Administration and the Interior...

Scholarships.
February 1, 2005... * Scholarships: The Indian Health Service will fund 200 scholarships for American Indians or Alaska Natives who have been accepted for enrollment in a program leading to a degree in certain health professions. The average award for a fulltime...

Child care reporting.(Federal Child Care Bureau)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... * Child Care Reporting: The federal Child Care Bureau has a new technical bulletin to answer frequently asked questions about Child Care and Development Fund reporting requirement for Indian tribes. See www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/...

Electronic enrollment.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... * Electronic Enrollment: New technology has provided new ways to inform low-income families about assistance programs, and some states now use Web sites to screen for eligibility, calculate benefits and take applications. Still, it remains...