OPA

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump today proposed a $2.4 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget for Indian Affairs, which includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) led by the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs.

The budget request includes proposed legislation to establish a Public Lands Infrastructure Fund that would take new revenue from federal energy leasing and development to provide up to $18 billion to help pay for repairs and improvements at Bureau of Indian Education funded schools, national wildlife refuges and national parks.

“President Trump is absolutely right to call for a robust infrastructure plan that rebuilds our national parks, refuges, and Indian schools, and I look forward to helping him deliver on that historic mission,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. “Our Parks and Refuges are being loved to death, but the real heart break is the condition of the schools in Indian Country. We can and must do better for these young scholars. This is not a republican or democrat issue, this is an American issue, and the President and I are ready to work with absolutely anyone in Congress who is willing to get the work done.”

“As our Indian schools are in desperate need of repair, it is reassuring that the President’s budget calls for a real way to fix them through the proposed Public Lands Infrastructure Fund,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs John Tahsuda. “This budget prioritizes improving the infrastructure that will create a stronger foundation from which we deliver our programs to tribal communities. This will allow us to continue to restore trust with them and ensure that sovereignty regains its meaning.”

Indian Affairs plays an important role in carrying out the Federal government’s trust, treaty and other responsibilities to the nation’s 573 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, which have, in total, a service population of nearly two million American Indians and Alaska Natives in tribal communities nationwide. The FY 2019 Indian Affairs budget proposal supports continuing efforts to advance self-governance and self-determination, fosters stronger economies and self-sufficiency, and supports safe Indian communities through a wide range of activities.

Budget Overview – The 2019 President’s budget for Indian Affairs is $2.4 billion in current appropriations.

Public Lands Infrastructure Fund – The BIE manages a school system of 169 elementary and secondary schools and 14 dormitories providing educational services to 47,000 individual students in 23 States. Although many of the schools are tribally controlled and operated by the Tribes, BIE is responsible for oversight and the maintenance of the school facilities. The estimated deferred maintenance backlog for BIE schools is $634 million, which does not include the cost of replacement for the schools in the worst condition. The Administration proposes legislation in the FY 2019 budget to establish the Public Lands Infrastructure Fund to provide up to $18.0 billion to address needed repairs and improvements in the BIE schools, as well as the national parks and national wildlife refuges.

Construction – The FY 2019 budget prioritizes rehabilitation of dams, irrigation projects, and irrigation systems which deliver water to aid tribal economic development as well as protect lives, resources, and property. The Safety of Dams program is currently responsible for 138 high or significant-hazard dams located on 43 Indian reservations. The irrigation rehabilitation program addresses critical deferred maintenance and construction work on BIA-owned and operated irrigation facilities, including 17 irrigation projects.

The request also prioritizes construction related to regional and agency offices serving tribal programs and operations in Indian Country including the upgrade and repair of telecommunications infrastructure and facilities housing BIA and tribal employees providing services to Indian Communities.

In addition to support through the Public Lands Infrastructure Fund, the budget proposes funding for Education Construction focusing on facility improvement and repair at existing schools. Available funding from prior years will continue work to complete school construction on the 2004 school replacement list and proceed with design and construction for schools on the 2016 school replacement list.

Contract Support Costs – The FY 2019 budget maintains the Administration’s support for the principles of tribal self-determination and strengthening tribal communities across Indian Country. The request fully supports the estimated need for Contract Support assuming BIA program funding at the FY 2019 request. The FY 2019 budget continues to request funding for Contract Support Costs in a separate indefinite current account to ensure full funding for this priority.

Land and Water Claims Settlements – The FY 2019 budget prioritizes funding to meet Indian Settlement commitments and enables the Department to meet Federal responsibilities outlined in enacted settlements with Indian Tribes. Settlements resolve tribal land and water rights claims and ensure Tribes have access to land and water to meet domestic, economic, and cultural needs. Many of the infrastructure projects supported in these agreements improve the health and well-being of tribal members and preserve existing economies and, over the long-term, bring the potential for jobs and economic development. The FY 2019 budget includes $45.6 million, including sufficient funding to complete payments for the Navajo Trust Fund and the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, both of which have enforceability dates in 2019.

Operation of Indian Programs – The FY 2019 budget requests $2.0 billion for the Operation of Indian Programs giving priority to base program funding serving tribal communities across Indian Country. The budget reflects Department-wide efforts to identify administrative savings and identifies $8.3 million in administrative savings attained by consolidating and sharing administrative services such as procurement, information technology, human resources, and by shifting acquisition spending to less costly contracts. The budget also includes $900,000 to support the Department’s migration to common regional boundaries to improve service and efficiency. The Department will hold a robust consultation process with tribal nations before actions are taken with respect to Indian Affairs regions.

Promote Tribal Self-Determination – The BIA Tribal Government activity supports assistance to Tribes and Alaska Native entities to strengthen and sustain tribal government systems and support tribal self-governance through the Public Law 93-638 contracting and compacting process.

The FY 2019 budget requests $291.5 million for programs that support Tribal Government activities. Within this, the budget includes:

• $157.8 million for self-governance compact activities for self-governance Tribes.
• $72.6 million to support Consolidated Tribal Government programs which also promote Indian self-determination, giving approximately 275 Tribes the flexibility to combine and manage contracted programs and grants.
• Funding to provide initial Federal support for six Virginia Tribes federally-recognized by a 2018 Act of Congress, including the Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Upper Mattaponi, the Rappahannock, the Monacan, and the Nansemond. Each tribe in the request would receive $160,000 to begin establishing and carrying out the day-to-day responsibilities of a tribal government.
• $28.3 million for Road Maintenance to support pavement and gravel maintenance, remedial work on improved earth roads, bridge maintenance, and snow and ice control. The BIA maintains nearly 29,000 miles of paved, gravel and earth surface roads; and more than 900 bridges.

Protect Indian Country – The BIA’s Office of Justice Services (OJS) funds law enforcement, corrections and court services to support safe tribal communities. These programs safeguard life and property, enforce laws, maintain justice and order, and ensure detained American Indian offenders are held in safe, secure, and humane environments. The 2019 budget prioritizes funding for the primary law enforcement and corrections programs, and identifies savings to minimize impacts on these critical programs.

The FY 2019 budget requests $350.1 million for Public Safety and Justice activities:

• $326.7 million supports 190 law enforcement programs and 96 corrections programs run both by Tribes and as direct services.
• $2.5 million targeted to address the opioid crisis which has been particularly devastating in Indian Country.
• $22.1 million for Tribal Courts.

Support Indian Communities – Sustaining families is critical to fostering thriving Indian communities. The BIA Office of Indian Services supports a community-based approach to child welfare, family stability, and strengthening tribal communities as a whole.

The FY 2019 budget requests $115.4 million for Human Services programs:

• $46.6 million for Social Services and Indian Child Welfare Act programs.
• $65.8 million for Welfare Assistance.

Manage Trust Resources and Lands – The BIA Trust-Natural Resources Management activity supports the stewardship of trust lands in Indian Country. Natural resource programs assist Tribes in the management, development, and protection of Indian trust land and natural resources on 56 million surface acres and 59 million acres of subsurface mineral estates. These programs enable tribal trust landowners to optimize use and conservation of resources, providing benefits such as revenue, jobs, and the protection of cultural, spiritual, and traditional resources.

The FY 2019 budget requests $153.4 million for natural resource management programs which includes agriculture, forestry, water resources, and fish, wildlife and parks activities, including:

• $48.9 million for BIA Forestry programs to support development, maintenance, and enhancement of forest resources in accordance with sustained yield principles included in forest management plans; and
• $28.0 million for BIA’s Agriculture and Range program to continue support for multiple use and sustained yield management on over 46 million acres of Indian trust land dedicated to crop and livestock agriculture; and
• $11.4 million for Fish, Wildlife and Parks and $8.6 million for Water Resources management activities.

Keep Fiduciary Trust Responsibilities – The Trust-Real Estate Services activity manages Indian trust-related information to optimize the efficacy of Indian trust assets. The 2019 budget proposes $105.5 million for real estate services programs. The budget supports the processing of Indian trust-related documents such as land title and records and geospatial data to support land and water resources use, energy development, and protection and restoration of ecosystems and important lands. The budget also funds probate services to determine ownership of Indian trust assets essential to economic development and accurate payments to beneficiaries.

Support Economic Opportunities – The FY 2019 budget requests $35.8 million for the Community and Economic Development activity, and features investments in Indian energy activities. The FY 2019 budget supports the Administration’s priority for domestic energy dominance and economic development, including development on tribal lands. Income from energy and minerals production is the largest source of revenue generated from natural resources on trust lands, with royalty income of $676.0 million in 2017 payable to tribal governments and individual mineral rights owners. The FY 2019 budget continues the commitment to the Indian Energy Service Center which coordinates Indian energy development activities across Interior’s bureaus.

Foster Tribal Student Success – The FY 2019 budget prioritizes funding for core mission programs at BIE-funded elementary and secondary school operations and Post-Secondary tribal colleges and universities. The budget focuses on direct school operations including classroom instruction, student transportation, native language development programs, cultural awareness and enrichment, and school maintenance. In some remotely located schools, funding also supports residential costs.

The FY 2019 budget requests $741.9 million for Bureau of Indian Education programs:

• $625.9 million for Elementary and Secondary programs, including $74.0 million for Tribal Grant Support Costs for Tribes which choose to operate BIE-funded schools. This level will support 100 percent of the estimated requirement.
• $92.7 million for Post-Secondary programs.
• $23.3 million for Education Management.

Tribal Priority Allocations – The 2019 budget proposes Tribal Priority Allocation funding of $578.7 million.

Indian Guaranteed Loan Program – In order to make Indian business financing more readily available, this program offers loan guarantees and insurance covering up to 90 percent of outstanding loan principal to Indian tribes, tribal members, or for profit and not-for-profit businesses at least 51 percent Indian owned. The FY 2019 budget requests $6.7 million to guarantee or insure $108.6 million in loan principal to support Indian economic development.

Fixed Costs – Fixed costs of $9.7 million are fully funded.

The Assistant Secretary–Indian Affairs advises the Secretary of the Interior on Indian Affairs policy issues, communicates policy to and oversee the programs of the BIA and the BIE, provides leadership in consultations with tribes, and serves as the DOI official for intra- and inter- departmental coordination and liaison within the Executive Branch on Indian matters.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs’ mission includes developing and protecting Indian trust lands and natural and energy resources; supporting social welfare, public safety and justice in tribal communities; and promoting tribal self-determination and self-governance.

The Bureau of Indian Education implements federal Indian education programs and funds 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools (of which two-thirds are tribally operated) located on 64 reservations in 23 states and peripheral dormitories serving over 47,000 individual students. The BIE also operates two post-secondary schools and administers grants for 29 tribally controlled colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs John Tahsuda today announced his approval of land leasing codes for 10 tribes in seven states. Today’s action brings to 39 the number of federally recognized tribes whose land leasing regulations have been approved by the Department of the Interior in accordance with the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership (HEARTH) Act.

“I congratulate these tribes on joining the growing family of tribal governments with approved land leasing authority under the HEARTH Act,” Tahsuda said. “The Act provides tribal nations with the means to achieve greater control over their economic futures. With each step forward, Indian Country demonstrates its ability to guide the economic progress of its people now and into the future.”

With approval of their HEARTH Act regulations, these tribes now have the authority to enact and implement their own tribal regulations, which will promote their self-determination and tribal sovereignty. The tribes have the ability to lease lands of tribal trust property or tribal restricted land by implementing leasing regulations that specifically meet their needs.

The 10 tribes whose HEARTH Act regulations received approval are:

• Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma (Business Site leases)
• Lummi Tribe of the Lummi Reservation, Washington (Business and Residential leases)
• Kootenai Tribe of Idaho (Residential leases)
• Coquille Indian Tribe, Oregon (Business Site leases)
• Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, California (Business leases and other authorized purposes)
• Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Michigan (Business, Agricultural, Residential, Wind and Solar Resource, and Wind Energy Evaluation leases)
• Ramona Band of Cahuilla, California (Business purposes)
• Apache Tribe of Oklahoma (Business, Wind and Solar, Wind Energy Evaluation, and other authorized purpose leases)
• Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pechanga Reservation, California (Business leases)
• Oneida Nation, Wisconsin (Business, Agricultural and Residential leases)

The HEARTH Act establishes the authority of federally recognized tribes to develop and implement their own laws governing the long-term leasing of Indian lands for residential, business, renewable energy, and other purposes. Upon one-time approval of their regulations by the Department, such tribes gain the authority to process land leases without Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) approval, thereby greatly expediting leasing approval for homes and small businesses in Indian Country.

The Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership, or HEARTH, Act, which Congress passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, was signed on July 30, 2012. For more information, visit the Indian Affairs HEARTH Act web page.

Tribes with HEARTH Act leasing regulations approved prior to today’s announcement are:

• Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, California (Business)
• Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico (Business)
• Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Michigan (Residential)
• Ak-Chin Indian Community, Arizona (Business)
• Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians, California (Business)
• Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Oklahoma (Business)
• Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians, California (Business)
• Kaw Nation, Oklahoma (Business)
• Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Washington (Business)
• Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, California (Business)
• Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, Oklahoma (Business)
• Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut (Business)
• Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, California (Business)
• Seminole Tribe of Florida (Individual Business and Residential Ordinances)
• Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Washington (Business)
• Oneida Indian Nation, New York (Business)
• Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin (Individual Bus., Residential and Agricultural Codes)
• Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Oklahoma (Business)
• Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians, California (Business)
• Makah Indian Tribe, Washington (Business and Residential)
• Squaxin Island Tribe, Washington (Business)
• Gila River Indian Community, Arizona (Business)
• Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico (Business, Agricultural, Residential, and Renewable Energy)
• Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Minnesota (Business)
• Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, California (Business)
• Oneida Indian Nation of New York (Residential)
• Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, California (Business)
• Osage Nation, Oklahoma (Business)
• Stillaguamish Tribe of Washington (Business)

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs oversees the BIA, which is headed by a Director who is responsible for managing day-to-day operations through four offices – Indian Services, Justice Services, Trust Services, and Field Operations. These offices directly administer or fund tribally based infrastructure, law enforcement, social services, tribal governance, natural and energy resources, and trust land and resources management programs for the nation’s federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes.

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque has received notification of re-accreditation, affirming that its degree and certification programs in advanced technical fields, liberal arts and business education will continue to enrich the lives of students from 66 American Indian tribes.

The Institutional Actions Council of the Higher Learning Commission notified SIPI that it has accepted the peer review team’s comprehensive evaluation report and reaffirmed the school’s accreditation at their recent meeting on February 13, 2018.

“This continuation of our accreditation affirms SIPI’s efforts to provide a high-quality education to our students, and comes in the midst of our implementation of strategic initiatives focused on student success. Ultimately, it is our students who matter and we must be relentless in working continuously to improve their lives,” said SIPI President Dr. Sherry Allison.

“I congratulate SIPI President Dr. Sherry Allison and her staff, the SIPI faculty and students, and the entire SIPI community for this tremendous achievement,” said John Tahsuda, Indian Affairs Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior. “I know you are dedicated to ensuring that SIPI, which is an historically important higher education institution for Indian Country, continues to prepare its students for the future while maintaining their cultural knowledge and values.”

“It is through the continued hard work of our faculty and staff at each of our schools that we can achieve and attain successes like this accreditation,” said Bureau of Indian Education Director Tony L. Dearman. “This accreditation demonstrates our commitment to our American Indian and Alaska Native students and families to provide excellent educational opportunities along with support needed to succeed.”

The initial accreditation was received in February 2014 for a 10-year cycle. To receive affirmation of the accreditation, there is a Year 4 Review for Standard Pathway institutions that are in their first accreditation cycle after attaining initial accreditation. Institutions submit a report which includes an intense internal self-study documenting how the school upholds education standards, and includes a federal compliance review and a peer review on-site visit.

This accreditation will enable SIPI to award federal financial aid such as PELL grants; facilitate the transfer of college credits to other institutions; serve as a signal to other external facilities that it is a quality educational institution; and allow the school to be eligible to receive federal, state and private grant funds.

The HLC is an independent corporation founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The HLC accredits degree-granting postsecondary educational institutions in the North Central region, which includes 19 states.

The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs supports the Secretary of the Interior in carrying out the Department’s responsibilities to the federally recognized tribes through BIA and BIE programs and services. The BIA’s mission includes developing and protecting Indian trust lands and natural and energy resources; supporting social welfare, public safety and justice in tribal communities; and promoting tribal self-determination and self-governance. For more information, visit the Indian Affairs website.

SIPI is one of two colleges and universities operated by BIE; the other is Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas. The BIE also administers grants for more than thirty tribally controlled colleges and universities and provides higher education scholarships to Native youth. The BIE also implements federal Indian education programs and funds 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools located on 64 reservations in 23 states and peripheral dormitories serving more than 48,000 students. For more information, visit the BIE website.

SIPI is a 1994 land-grant college preparing students from 16 states to be life-long learners through partnerships with tribes and other organizations. For more information, visit the SIPI website.

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WASHINGTON - Today, just two weeks after U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced the Department was forming a new Joint Task Force (JTF) to combat the opioid crisis in Indian Country, the Secretary announced the JTF's first raid seized 49 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of $2.5 million and more than $20,000 worth of marijuana, plus smaller amounts of heroin, and other narcotics. The raid was led by Interior's JTF with partnership from the Pueblo Tribes and New Mexico law enforcement officials. Secretary Zinke formed the JTF in response to President Donald J. Trump's commitment to end the opioid crisis.

“I am incredibly proud of the law enforcement officers on this Joint Task Force. The work they did over the weekend in New Mexico, seizing the very drugs that are poisoning tribal communities, will save lives,” said Secretary Zinke. “They successfully stopped $2.5 million worth of methamphetamine from stealing our children's futures. Their work is a perfect example of what we can do when we leverage the resources of the government to address this crisis in Indian Country. President Trump's leadership in the fight against opioids and other drugs has been tremendous. Together, we are cracking down on the dealers who are selling out our kids.”

“I am very pleased to see that the new leadership in the BIA Office of Justice Services is exceeding expectations in carrying out the Secretary and President's direction to combat opioids across Indian Country,” said Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Bryan Rice. “Deputy Bureau Director Charlie Addington is leading a results-driven effort to address this epidemic in our communities and surrounding areas.”

The JTF consisted of agents and officers from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and their K-9 unit, Office of Justice Services, Division of Drug Enforcement, BIA District-IV Indian Country - High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, New Mexico State Police (NMSP) and their K-9 unit, NMSP Investigation Bureau’s Regional Narcotic Task Force, and the Department of Homeland Security Task Force.

This operation ran from April 3 to April 7, 2018, and was conducted at the following Pueblos around Albuquerque, New Mexico: Laguna, Sandia, Cochiti, San Ildefonso, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Picuris, Santo Domingo, Pojoaque, Nambe, San Felipe, Tesuque, and Ohkay Owingeh. The JTF conducted 304 traffic stops and 93 vehicle searches, issued 129 traffic citations, and arrested 11 subjects for drug possession.

Last month, Secretary Zinke championed President Trump’s commitment to end the opioid epidemic in a series of tribal community visits during the week of the President’s Opioid initiative. The Secretary personally visited several tribal communities around the country — Tohono O’odham, Gila River, Salt River, and AK-Chin in Arizona; Oneida in Wisconsin; Spokane, Colville, and Lummi Nations in Washington State — to listen and learn about how the opioid crisis is impacting tribes and to show the Department’s commitment to addressing the resonating effects of this addiction. Tribes welcomed these visits and the President’s commitment to eliminating the opioid epidemic with the greatest appreciation.

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On behalf of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Indian Education, I extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the late-Senator John McCain’s family. We appreciate their selfless willingness to share his short time on this earth with us to make our Nation better. We will miss his voice, but his spirit will live with us forever.

Over the entirety of Senator McCain’s career, he undoubtedly earned a great legacy built upon asking the tough questions and making tough decisions. As a member of the Senate Committee of Indian Affairs since 1987, which is one of our oversight committees, he often asked DOI Indian Affairs the tough questions involving the welfare of tribal communities. His mentor, the late-Congressman “Mo” Udall famously told Senator McCain, “Don’t forget the Indians,” and during his tenure he held true to that promise.

Senator McCain’s legacy has shaped the world in which we at Indian Affairs operate today. He was influential in development of the Indian Self-Determination Contract Reform Amendments, Trust Reform, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and Indian Education. He was critical, yet thoughtful, of whether and how diligently the federal government carried out the trust responsibility, especially when it came to the future of our Native youth. The Senator commented in 2016, “I have been a member of this Committee for many, many years. We have not seen a significant improvement. It is not because of dedicated men and women who work in these BIE schools but it is a system, I think, that deserves some new approaches.” Although many competing recommendations exist for improving federal services provided to the American people, including our tribal communities, we hold a common end goal to create an improved system of delivery that upholds our trust responsibilities.

Senator McCain touched our lives. This week, DOI Indian Affairs staffers in the many stages of their careers shared stories about the late-Senator. Stories that I had personally heard ranged from his willingness to launch the careers of aspiring young Native students by offering internships in his Senate office and stories of how our program directors and staff contributed information to answer his tough questions. These stories have been a great tribute to his memory.

As the Chairman of the Senate Committee, he shared some heartfelt words that I hope we as federal public servants can find inspiration from, “While remembering our past wrongs is important, it is also important that we answer those wrongs with vigorous actions and policies that actively promote the well-being of Native Americans today.”

In closing, I want to thank the late-Senator for not only remembering the Indians, but for working hard to support and strengthen tribal sovereignty and tribal self-determination.

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Albuquerque, N.M. – Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs John Tahsuda delivered remarks at Interior Days during the 2018 Annual Tribal Self-Governance Consultation Conference, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Tribal Self-Governance, held at the Albuquerque Convention Center. This year’s conference registration peaked around 900 attendees.

Secretary Zinke welcomed conference attendees via videoconference:

“For Tribal Nations across America, the road to prosperity is paved with the stones of sovereignty,” said Secretary Zinke. “When we promise economic empowerment to every American, that promise must extend to every tribal nation. As we look to the next 30 years of Self-Governance, the relationship between Indian Country and the Department of the Interior must be strong if we are going to accomplish our mission. President Trump and I are committed to the future of Indian Country and we look forward to working with Self-Governance Tribes on initiatives that promote the prosperity of Indian Country like putting an end the opioid epidemic.”

“Self-Governance has made great strides over the last 30 years. One of our main goals in the Administration is streamlining the federal bureaucracy and cutting red tape, so we can better support tribes in their pursuit to promote economic prosperity in their communities,” said PDAS Tahsuda. “Ultimately, the self-governance program serves not just as a funding vehicle, but also as a diplomatic exchange between sovereigns. I believe positive results are in store as tribes continue to be innovative and seek more ways they can take the core tenets and purposes of self-governance and expand it into more opportunities to administer services and programs to your citizens.”

The Tribal Self-Governance Conference is an annual event attended by officials of federally recognized tribes that operate federally funded programs under self-governance compacts and representatives of the federal agencies they do business with. The Indian Affairs Office of Self-Governance (OSG) conducts training sessions at the conference for tribal officials and program managers on all aspects of finance, reporting requirements, and administering Bureau of Indian Affairs programs under self-governance compacts.

OSG held a session on Thursday, April 26, on the Department’s proposed Federal Register notice of the “List of Programs Eligible for Inclusion in the Fiscal Year 2019 Funding Agreements to be Negotiated with the Self-Governance Tribe by Interior Bureaus Other than the Bureau of Indian Affairs.” For the first year, self-governance tribes with such agreements are invited to share their experiences in negotiating with non-BIA bureaus within DOI.

This year’s conference celebrates 30 years of Self-Governance in Action, with the special acknowledgement of the seven tribal nations who entered into the first self-governance agreements with the Interior Department – Absentee-Shawnee Tribe, Cherokee Nation, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Lummi Tribe, Mille Lacs Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, and the Quinault Indian Nation – as the Tribes that pioneered the movement away from 638 contacting as the sole means by which tribes could operate BIA-funded programs when they participated in the Bureau’s Self-Governance Demonstration Project. The project was created following Congressional enactment that same year of the Tribal Self-Governance Act.

WASHINGTON –Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs John Tahsuda, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Director Thomas J. Walters, Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety Director Jesse Delmar and the Department of the Interior-Office of Law Enforcement and Security Director Darren Cruzan, are among federal and Indian Country representatives slated to speak at the 27 th Annual Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service on Thursday, May 3, 2018, at the United States Indian Police Academy in Artesia, N.M.

The Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service honors tribal, state, local and federal law enforcement officers who have given their lives in the line of duty while serving on federal Indian lands and in the tribal communities. It is also during this occasion when the names of the officers who will be added to the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial monument at the academy are formally announced.

The 27th Annual Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service will be live-streamed. To view the event, visit https://livestream.com/accounts/85948/BIAmemorial and type in the password “biamemorial”

WHO: Charles Addington, Deputy Bureau Director, BIA-Office of Justice Services, Master of Ceremony John Tahsuda, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, DOI Thomas J. Walters, Director, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glencoe, GA Jesse Delmar, Director, Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety, Window Rock, AZ Darren Cruzan, Director, Department of the Interior-Office of Law Enforcement and Security, Washington, DC .

WHAT: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs John Tahsuda will deliver remarks and Deputy Bureau Director of the BIA - Office of Justice Services Charles Addington will serve as master of ceremony at the 27th Annual Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service where the names of two fallen law enforcement officers will be added to the memorial.

WHEN: Thursday, May 3, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. MDT.

WHERE: BIA Indian Police Academy, DHS Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, 1300 West Richey Avenue, Artesia, N.M. Phone (505) 748-8151 for directions. CREDENTIALS: This invitation is extended to working media representatives, who are required to display sanctioned media credentials for admittance to the event. Press seating will be provided. Credentialed media covering the event should be in place by 9:45 a.m. for the program beginning at 10:00 a.m.

To view an image of the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and a list of the officers’ names inscribed on it, visit https://www.fletc.gov/indian-country-law-enforcement-officers-memorial

The event is held annually on the first Thursday in May, BIA-OJS conducts the memorial service in conjunction with International Chiefs of Police’s Indian Country Law Enforcement Section and other law enforcement organizations and agencies, including the National Sheriffs’ Association and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers in Artesia, where the monument, academy and memorial service are located. The Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers and representatives of the Chickasaw Nation and Navajo Nation, whose officers are being added to the memorial this year, will be in attendance. The names of two officers added at this year’s ceremony will bring the total number listed on the memorial to 116:

• Navajo Nation Police Officer Houston Largo who was killed on April 12, 2017 while conducting a traffic stop of two individuals suspected in a reported domestic violence incident on Navajo Nation Reservation.
• Nelson Onepennee, Game Warden with Yakama Nation Police Department who was on April 11, 1980 while on patrol along the Columbia River when his vehicle left the roadway and plunged down a steep embankment.