[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 35 (Thursday, March 24, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
INTRODUCTION OF A BILL TO PROVIDE SOCIAL SERVICE BLOCK GRANTS DIRECTLY 
                            TO INDIAN TRIBES

                                 ______


                          HON. BILL RICHARDSON

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 24, 1994

  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce today, along 
with Representatives McDermott, Brewster, and Kopetski, legislation to 
correct a long-standing inequity to Indian tribes. The legislation we 
are introducing would provide that funds under the Title XX Social 
Services Block Grants program be provided directly to tribal 
governments to administer their social services programs. Currently, 
title XX funds are provided by formula to State governments and to 
territorial governments, but not to Indian tribal governments. This 
bill will allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make 
contracts or grants with Indian tribes or tribal organizations so that 
funds under title XX of the Social Security Act may be accessed by 
Indian tribal governments and tribal organizations. It requires the 
Secretary to establish a base funding formula, and mandates that 3 
percent of title XX funds are to be made available to Indian tribes and 
tribal organizations. This bill is consistent with the longstanding 
Federal policies of maintaining the government-to-government 
relationship with Indian tribes and furthering Indian self-
determination and self-governance.
  Mr. Speaker, many Federal statutes provide for funding allocations--
usually expressed as percentages of a total appropriation--to tribal 
governments. Congress routinely provides for direct funding to Indian 
tribes from Federal programs. This situation did not exist when the 
Title XX Social Services Block Grant was enacted. Indian tribes are in 
urgent need of a stable source of social services funding, and the best 
way to do this is to address the inequities of the current Social 
Services Block Grant program by providing a percentage of funds 
directly to tribal governments.
  The Title XX Social Services Block Grant--which is an entitlement 
program--is meant to provide flexible social services moneys for 
locally designed and administered social services programs. Much of 
title XX money is used for child welfare services. It is a great 
injustice that Indian tribes have not had access to annual title XX 
moneys which could have helped them build stable social services 
programs to address the multitude of problems affecting Indian children 
and families.
  To the extent that poverty, lack of education, and high unemployment 
indicate a need for social services, the 1990 census paints a bleak 
picture. The percentager of Indian people in poverty in New Mexico is 
46 percent. The national Indian poverty rate is 30.9 percent, while the 
Nation as a whole has a poverty rate of 13.1 percent. For Indian 
families headed by females, 50.4 percent of the families are living in 
poverty, which compares to a national figure of 31.1 percent.

  According to the 1990 census the percentages of unemployed Indian 
males and females in New Mexico who are considered in the work force is 
21.2 percent and 16.4 percent respectively. This compares with national 
Indian unemployment rates of 13.1 percent for both Indian males and 
females. The national unemployment rate is 6.4 percent. For the entire 
United States, 20.3 percent of persons over the age of 25 have a 
bachelor degree or higher education, while only 9.3 percent of Indian 
people have attained this level of education.
  Mr. Speaker, Indian people are always at the bottom of the economic 
ladder. The funds which they could access under this bill would help to 
improve the plight of the Indian nations. This bill rights a great 
wrong--Indian tribes should have had these funds from the beginning. 
After all, the purpose of the Title XX Social Services Block Grant 
program is to provide for the needs of all Americans. It is ironic that 
this country's first Americans were left out of this program, because 
no other group in America has a greater need for this program.
  I have spoken to many Indian tribes and tribal organizations who have 
described the tremendous need for this legislation, and as chairman of 
the Native American Affairs Subcommittee, I am pleased to introduce 
this bill. I am also pleased to be joined by three distinguished 
members of the Ways and Means Committee, Representative McDermott, 
Brewster, and Kopetski, as original cosponsors of this legislation. I 
look forward to working closely with them and other members of the Ways 
and Means Committee to get this much needed legislation enacted into 
law.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important measure.

                          ____________________