WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Senate last night passed a bill to extend the authorization for programs in the Administration for Native Americans (ANA).
The bill’s chief sponsor, Senate Indian Affairs Committee Chairman Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.), said the legislation is necessary for tribes to protect their environment, preserve their cultures and provide higher standards of living for their members. “ANA is not business as usual,” Campbell said. “It does not rely on the heavy hand of Washington bureaucracy to provide much-needed assistance. Its goal has been to encourage Native communities to be economically self-sufficient and determine for themselves their own goals and the ways to achieve those goals.”
The bill, S. 459, will extend until fiscal year 2000 the authorization for programs used by tribes and native communities nationwide to foster economic growth, develop tools for good governance methods and promote social welfare.
Created by the Native American Programs Act of 1974, programs administered by ANA include:
The bill is cosponsored by Committee Vice-Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) and U.S. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska).
“ANA has proven successful for native communities since its inception and has generated widespread support by America’s native communities. I urge the House to quickly pass this bill so these proven tools for development can again be made available to native peoples around the nation.”