The Bureau of Indian Affairs, in its fiscal year 1980 budget request, has asked Congress for Federal funding of $948,120,000 -- approximately $86.5 million less than the 1979 funding.
Most of the decrease, reflecting the President's anti-inflation concern will be in the new construction of buildings, utilities and roads. For the operation of Indian programs, the Bureau has asked for $792,020,000 -- about $3.3 million less than the 1979 funding.
The 1980 budget request asks for substantial increases for higher education assistance funds, social services, Indian rights protection, real estate and financial trust services and management and administration. Of the $948,120,000 requested $46.2 million is for irrigation system construction; $21.5 million for construction of buildings and utilities; $58.4 million for road construction; and $30 million for payments under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
The balance, for the operation of Indian programs, includes $262.1 million for education programs; $207.2 million for Indian services; $77.2 million for economic development and employment programs; $64.7 million for natural resource development; $49.3 for trust responsibilities and $131.5 for general management and facilities operations.
The Bureau's education program includes the operation of 15 dormitories and 210 schools some of them managed by Indian community groups under contracts with the Bureau. The Bureau also provides funding for special programs for 175,000 Indian students attending public schools and it will provide grants in 1980 to approximately 20,000 Indian college students.
The request for Indian services includes an increase of $6.7 million for social services to provide for increased unit costs in general assistance, child welfare assistance and miscellaneous assistance.
The $19.2 million requested for housing programs will provide for the building of approximately 395 new homes and the renovation or enlargement of 2,600 homes. The funding for Self-Determination Services includes $23.7 million for tribal overhead costs associated with P.L. 93-638 (Self-determination Act) contracts.
Of the $77.2 million requested for economic development and employment programs, about $50.2 million is for direct employment programs, institutional vocational training and Indian Action teams. $9.5 million will go to the business enterprise development fund to provide assistance to Indian tribes and individuals.
The request of $64.7 million for natural resource programs will support programs in mineral and energy resources, forestry, agriculture, irrigation project operation and maintenance, water resources, multi-discipline natural resource efforts, and wildlife and parks and fishery operations. The agriculture element of this part of the budget includes responsibilities for soil and moisture conservation and range management.
Another major initiative in FY 1980 is the implementation of the water policy announced by the President in his July 12, 1978 message to the Congress and the public. Among other items, the President called for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to develop a ten-year plan for the review of all Indian water right entitlements. This plan will be developed in 1979, and funds to undertake this review are requested in the 1980 budget. This initiative is expected to resolve many long- standing Indian water rights issues over the next, several years without resort to the expensive, protracted litigation which has characterized these issues in the past.
Strengthening the trust responsibilities role continues to be one of the primary goals of the Bureau. The FY 1980 request of $49.3 million for programs to carry out the Federal trust responsibilities represents an increase of $7.8 million over FY 1979. 1Initiatives for which the increases are requested in 1980 include: $3.0 million for Lease Compliance to provide improved lease and permit compliance to adequately protect the Indian landowner and the Indian trust estate; $0.9 million for Land Records Improvement, essential for the preservation of current chain of title to land held in trust which is a fundamental responsibility in teal property management and $1.0 million for Fish and Game Enforcement, to assure that tribes have the capability, develop scientifically sound fish and game management plans, to enforce compliance with these plans, and to promote better understanding between Indian and non-Indian citizens regarding treaty rights to fish and hunt on reservation or in treaty- covered areas.
