[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Pages 25999-26000]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                      CONGRATULATIONS TO TEX HALL

 Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I want to take a few minutes to 
congratulate Chairman Tex Hall for his recent election as president of 
the National Congress of American Indians. Tex is the chairman of Three 
Affiliated Tribes, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, in my State of 
North Dakota.
  As my colleagues know, the NCAI is the Nation's oldest and largest 
advocacy group representing Native Americans. I can vouch from my own 
personal experience in working with Tex that he will be a strong and 
persistent voice on behalf of Native Americans. Over the years, Tex and 
I have worked together on such issues as Indian education, Indian 
health care, economic development, water needs in North Dakota, and 
other issues. Tex has always been fighting, and rightly so, to increase 
the Federal Government's funding for Indian health, education, 
transportation, and other programs. Federal funding in these areas has 
been woefully inadequate, and I have been glad to join him in this 
fight.
  A story from just last year illustrates what a strong advocate Tex 
is. I was working very hard with Tex to secure funding for the Four 
Bears Bridge, which is the only crossing point across the Missouri 
River for 150 miles and is especially important to the Fort Berthold 
Reservation because it connects the two halves of the reservation.

[[Page 26000]]

The President's budget requested only $5 million for design of the new 
bridge, and at first it looked like even keeping that level of funding 
would be a challenge. After a lot of elbow grease, however, I was 
pleased to call Tex to let him know that I had been able to secure $35 
million, which was the full Federal Government share for the bridge's 
design and construction. I was pretty proud of this accomplishment, and 
of course, Tex thanked me very graciously. Then, like the true tribal 
advocate that he is, he asked for more money.
  Virtually his entire life, Tex has been a leader in one way or 
another. For instance, he served 11 years as principal and 
superintendent of the Mandaree school, and was named North Dakota 
``Indian Educator of the Year'' in 1995. Prior to being elected tribal 
chairman in 1998, he served on the tribal business council for 3 years. 
He currently serves on countless boards and task forces, representing 
tribal interests in just about every important area of Indian policy. 
And he has even had time for his cattle and buffalo ranching and to 
found the All Nations High School Basketball Tournament and Tex Hall 
basketball camps.
  Tex's election as president of NCAI comes at a very important time in 
the Federal Government's relationship with tribes. As is well 
documented, the Federal Government's century of mismanagement of Indian 
trust funds and resources is coming to a head with Interior Secretary 
Gale Norton's announcement of a reorganization of her Department's 
trust responsibilities. Chairman Hall has jumped right in as president 
of NCAI and has been leading the fight to ensure that tribes are 
meaningfully consulted before a plan with such enormous consequences is 
implemented.
  I look forward to continuing to work with Tex in his new position on 
the many important issues facing Indian country and Congress. I offer 
him my congratulations and best wishes.

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