Taking Care of Our Children
Native American children are overrepresented in the nation’s foster care system. Yet tribal governments are excluded from some of the largest sources of federal child welfare funding. These are the folks who are in the best position to understand and respond effectively to the needs of these children and their families. As a result, many American Indian children and youth have a more difficult time finding an appropriate foster care home or permanent placement, especially with relatives and families in their tribal communities.
A major problem with the Tribal Child Welfare system is the lack of access to funding for the administration of foster care and adoption programs these funds are called Title IV-E funds. Instead of receiving the funds directly from Health and Human Services, Tribes must have a cooperative agreement with the state to access the money. This arrangement is very cumbersome and inefficient and usually results in severely under-funded Tribal services.
Another issue for Tribes is the option of subsidized guardianship. This is a process for allowing relatives to give children in their families in the foster care system permanent homes and receive a subsidy towards the care of the child. This has a big impact on grandparents across the country, often on fixed incomes, that would not be able to support a grand child without assistance.
Guardianship is a culturally appropriate option for tribes as opposed to adoption which requires termination of parental rights. Guardianship provides for safety and permanence while preserving important cultural ties.
This year we will look at the overall child welfare program to ensure all children in the child welfare programs are served and states are better able to serve children through foster care, adoption, and preventive services.
Educating our Children
In the President’s FY2009 budget proposal, the Administration proposed to de-fund the Johnson-O’Malley supplemental education funding grants that are the cornerstone of Tribal funding. This is the second year in a row that the Administration has sought to eliminate this very important Tribal educational program. As I did last year, I will fight for the restoration of the Johnson-O’Malley program. I’m also fighting for additional funds for Tribal Colleges and Universities and language immersion programs. The seven Tribal Colleges and Universities play a pivotal role in Indian education. They include satellite classes and place nurses in clinics and hospitals all over the state. They also are stepping stools for those who go on to higher education in other universities in Montana and out of state institutions and professional programs. Many of the Tribal Colleges and Universities are taking up programs for language immersion studies for children and adults. Students are learning the rich culture of their Native tongue. It has been proven that those who have participated in language immersion programs have done better on standardized testing than those who have not participated in language immersion programs. I will fight to ensure programs such as the Johnson O’Malley program, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and language immersion programs continue with additional funding.
Preserving Our Heritage
The President’s FY 2009 proposed budget calls for the closing of the Museum of the Plains Indians in Browning, along with two other Native American museums in the country. I oppose these closings, especially the Museum of the Plains Indians. I wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Interior telling him, “These museums form an important historical function” and “constitute the cultural history” of the Tribes. This is an example of a breach of trust owed to Indian Tribes and I will oppose any effort to close our museum.
Improving Indian Jails
Four years ago, I held a meeting in the Finance Committee Hearing Room about the inhumane jails in Indian Country. Unfortunately, the situation in Indian Country has not changed that much. I am told that due to budgetary reasons and a backlog of school construction and hospital construction, there is not enough funding for the construction of detention centers. Recently, the Fort Belknap Reservation has completed construction of a new detention center. I am working to get funding for correctional officers for the new center.
Preserving Water Rights on Reservations
There are a number of water issues on our reservations in Montana which require large amounts of money to resolve. With other issues taking critical dollars it’s becomes more difficult to fund our own water projects. I am looking into new and creative funding opportunities, and hopefully I will be able to resolve these long outstanding projects. Senator Tester and I are working with other senators who have similar water issues and I look forward to providing safe drinking water to our reservations and the non-Native community as well.
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