صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

CHAPTER 3- Federal Funding for Indian Programs

1999 Efforts

Page 3A-9

The current Tribal Workgroup on Tribal Needs Assessment begins much of its work where the Task Force left off in 1994. The information systems envisioned have not been developed, and as a result, very little quality information is, available to support needs. No further work was done on the development of Standard Assessment Methodologies. The step by step process to move programs to the Tribal Priority Allocations base stalled when the BIA neglected to follow the steps outlined by the Task Force and encountered tribal concerns. On the positive side, base funding is now identified for each tribe and Congress has financed minimum base funding of small tribes, one of the most compelling needs expressed by the Task Force.

The concepts of the Tribal Budget System are sound. It takes good information to base any decisions on. Need should be measured on an overall Tribal basis by accumulating the overall needs across all programs, but funding should be allocated in aggregate, providing maximum tribal flexibility.

While information is gathered and objective comparisons are made, the BIA, the tribes and Congress should be able to work together to find ways to identify those tribes most in need of additional resources. There does exist enough information to recognize some of the tribes who have the worst conditions and the greatest needs for immediate resources. A recap of Congressional Direction regarding implementation of the Tribal Budget System follows:

CONGRESSIONAL DIRECTION - 1993 APPROPRIATIONS

Reorganization. - The Committee has agreed to the proposal of the Joint Reorganization Task Force and has restructured this account of the Bureau accordingly, as reflected in the above table. This new structure will make clearer the amounts that are to be included in the new tribal budget system which is currently being developed, and those amounts which are to be provided for Bureau operations.

While the Indian School Equalization Program (ISEP), welfare assistance grants, Johnson O'Malley educational assistance program, road maintenance and housing improvement programs have been included under the tribal budget system portion of the budget, these programs are all included in the category entitled "Other recurring programs". The programs in this category will be allocated and/or distributed in fiscal year 1993 in exactly the same manner in which they were distributed or allocated in 1992, while the Reorganization Task Force continues to study them for possible future inclusion in the tribal priority allocations category. In the meantime, these programs will also remain subject to existing reprogramming requirements, as will all programs in the operations account, with the exception of those programs in tribal priority allocations. There will be no reprogramming restrictions on the programs included within the tribal priority allocations,

CHAPTER 3- Federal Funding for Indian Programs

Page 3A-10

in this category, for the first six months of the fiscal year, be reported to the Committee no later than May 1, 1993; and that a final report of all reprogramming in this category be reported to the Committee by no later than November 1, 1993.

House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations Report on FY 1993 Appropriations Bill

The managers reiterate the direction regarding the changes agreed to in the BIA budget structure, reprogramming changes, and reporting requirements. The managers are aware of the concerns of various tribal governments and native organizations with regard to premature implementation of proposals of the Reorganization Task Force. It is the understanding and intent of the managers that only the limited changes expressly authorized in this bill be implemented at this time. Additional study and consultation with tribal governments and Native organizations will be required prior to implementation of other Reorganization Task Force proposals.

Committee on Conference

Report on FY 1993 Appropriations Bill

CONGRESSIONAL DIRECTION - 1994 APPROPRIATIONS

The Committee continues to support strongly the efforts of the Joint Task Force on BLA Reorganization, and its work on the Tribal Budget System (TBS). The Committee expects the Bureau to provide the same level of support in 1994 as in 1993 for the general operations of the Task Force. In addition, the Committee directs that $550,000 be made available from funds included for management improvements to the Task Force to continue development of the Tribal Budget System. The Committee expects that the Task Force, working with the new Program Planning staff, will continue to facilitate the development effort with broad participation by tribal and BIA representatives from around the country. An additional amount of $100,000 should be provided to the Task Force to complete research and prepare legislative and administrative proposals aimed at streamlining and reducing workload, and moving authority and budget resources to the service (tribe or agency) level. The Committee notes that the Task Force has refined principles for the Tribal Budget System following considerable input from tribes from around the country. These principles call for tribal involvement in all aspects of planning and budgeting consistent with self-determination policy. They also provide for rational standards of need in budgeting and will support equitable distribution of additional resources to the most needy tribes, consistent with previous direction of the Committee. The Committee supports this effort and has provided funds to continue involving tribal representatives from each Area to assist in the effort.

CHAPTER 3- Federal Funding for Indian Programs

Page 3A-11

The Committee understands that the Task Force plans to complete preliminary assessments during fiscal year 1994 of funding levels and needs, to provide information aimed at permitting the Committee to begin addressing current inequities in funding bases. The Bureau is expected to work with the Task Force in developing the preliminary assessment, and recommended methods of distribution of equity funding when such funding becomes available. The Committee expects that the needs for essential administrative and governmental functions of small tribes will be considered in these assessments.

The Committee approves the process recommended by the Task Force for the movement of programs from Other recurring programs to Tribal priority programs based on the request of individual tribes. This transfer implements TBS principles of placing maximum control and decision making over funds with tribal governments and is consistent with such transfers being made for self-governance tribes. This process may begin during fiscal year 1994 for programs which are earmarked already to specific tribes and for programs for which equitable distributions have been determined based on the Standard Methodology process outlined by the Task Force. The Bureau is expected to provide necessary information and support to provide reports on each program identified by the Task Force, in order that tribes may make informed decisions, and to complete assessments to determine equitable distribution of such programs which are distributed by formulas and other methods. The Bureau shall report to the Committee as equity distributions are completed for each such program, before implementation. The Committee notes that the Task Force has not recommended moving the funding for school operations or tribally controlled community colleges because of the nature of these programs.

The Committee is concerned that current reprogramming procedures established for tribal priority allocations will result in fewer of the funds appropriated being identified to Congress as to how they will be or are spent. The Bureau should work with the Task Force to recommend a budget and reporting procedure which will allow full reprogramming flexibility without requiring contract modifications or other approvals, and still provide Congress with information as to the intended and actual use of funds by tribes, agencies, and area field operations. Tribes within the self-governance demonstration project and those utilizing consolidated tribal government programs should be consulted in this process. Procedures should include the anticipated expenditures within the President's budget and a report after the end of each fiscal year on how funds were actually used. When this procedure is approved by the Committee, the semiannual reporting on reprogramming within Tribal priority allocations will no longer be necessary.

House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations

Report on FY 1994 Appropriations Bill

CHAPTER 3 - Federal Funding for Indian Programs

Page 3A-12

The Committee is concerned that as additional tribes enter into self-governance compacts and tribes are contracting for additional programs, the Bureau does not have a long-term strategy for effectively managing the changing programmatic and staffing requirements at the area and agency offices. In order to better understand the impact that the selfgovernance compacts and increased contracting has had Bureauwide, the BIA should provide the Committee with detailed information by area and agency on funding and staffing by program from fiscal year 1991 through fiscal year 1994. The information should indicate by program the level of contracting and the portion of the program which the Bureau continues to operate for each year and the related staffing. The Bureau should also indicate by program any residual oversight responsibilities which remain with the program where contracting has occurred, such as contract monitoring or technical assistance, and the staff and administrative costs associated with such oversight. The information should indicate changes in staffing that result from addressing identified material weaknesses, inspector general of General Accounting Office findings; increased oversight responsibilities, such as gaming; or congressional mandates. For fiscal year 1994, the information should indicate where staffing reductions occurred as a result of the administrative streamlining reductions and the associated funding. The information should indicate how Federal employment policies impact the Bureau's ability to eliminate staff where programs are fully contracted by the tribes within an agency or area office. This information should be provided to the Committee concurrently with the submission of the fiscal year 1995 budget.

Senate Report Committee on Appropriations Report on FY 1994 Appropriations Bill To accompany H.R. 2520

The managers expect that $500,000 will be provided for activities of the Joint Reorganization Task Force and an additional $350,000 will be provided from Central Office funds in 1994 for continued development of the Tribal Budget System. Additional funds should be made available, if needed, to develop proposals aimed at streamlining workload and moving resources to the tribe or agency level. Any excess funds from those budgeted for the Planning Office may be used for this purpose. The managers understand that the funding for the Task Force includes funding for travel and activities of members of the Task Force only. Funding for travel and other activities for participants of Task Force activities who are not members of the Task Force comes from funding provided to the various programs of the Bureau. The managers expect the Bureau to work with the Task Force in developing the preliminary assessment of funding levels and inequities, and methods of distribution for equity funding in the future. The managers approve the process recommended by the Task Force for moving programs from other recurring programs to tribal priority programs based on tribal requests."

Committee on Conference

[blocks in formation]

(1) Excludes National Defense and Net Interest on National Debt.

(2) Includes BIA, I.H.S., Indian Education in Dept of Education, Housing Construction in HUD, and Employment and Training in Department of Labor.

SOURCES:

Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress, "Indian-Related Federal Spending Trends, FY 1975-1999".

« السابقةمتابعة »