Title: Supporting the Senate Indian Affair Committee to Conduct Congressional Oversight Hearings on NAHASDA

WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and

WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is the oldest and largest national organization established in 1944 and comprised of representatives of and advocates for national, regional, and local Tribal concerns; and

WHEREAS, the health, safety, welfare, education, economic and employment opportunity, and preservation of cultural and natural resources are primary goals and objectives of NCAI; and,

WHEREAS, the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 was passed by the United States Congress to provide block grants to tribes for the purpose of developing housing and other related services on Indian reservations and designated service areas; and

WHEREAS, tribes find that NAHASDA and the rule that implements the act present difficult implementation and compliance challenges on tribal lands; and

WHEREAS, consistent with an Executive Department Memorandum on Government to Government Relations signed in 1994, President William Jefferson Clinton signed Executive Order 13084 in 1998 requiring HUD and all other government agencies to establish "…an effective process to permit elected officials and other representatives of Indian tribal government to provide meaningful and timely input in the development of regulatory policies on matters that significantly or uniquely affect their communities…"; and

WHEREAS, the establishment of a consultation process by HUD has been very slow and, to date, has been ineffective in achieving the goal of allowing tribal governments to provide meaningful and timely input; and

WHEREAS, tribes strive to maintain compliance with federal laws and rules governing the necessary programs utilized to provide family life-sustaining services while upholding tribal sovereignty, self-determination and tradition, cultural values within their respective Indian designated service areas; and

WHEREAS, problems identified by tribes during implementation require that both the Act and the NAHASDA regulations be amended.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Congress of American Indians is hereby requesting the Senate Indian Affairs Committee to conduct oversight hearings on HUD’s implementation of NAHASDA, specifically providing tribes and their housing representatives a full and meaningful opportunity to discuss all issues contained in the ongoing General Inspector (IG) investigation on NAHASDA implementation.

CERTIFICATION

The foregoing resolution was adopted at the 2000 Mid-Year Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held at the Centennial Hall in Juneau, Alaska on June 25-28, 2000 with a quorum present.

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Susan Masten, President

Juana Majel, Recording Secretary

Adopted by the General Assembly during the 2000 Mid-Year Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held at the Centennial Hall in Juneau, Alaska on June 25-28, 2000.