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SOUTHWEST REGION TRIBAL/INTERIOR BUDGET COUNCIL NATIONAL BUDGET MEETING FY 2014 Washington, D.C. March 27-28, 2012 Southwest Region • Consists of 24 tribes and one Navajo Chapter located in parts of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas • A land base of 4.8 million acres. • The tribes within the Region are culturally diverse groups, comprised of the Apache, Ute, Pueblo and Ramah Navajo extractions. • Government structures among the twenty-five tribal entities range from eighteen traditional forms of government to seven conventional constitutional governments. Promises of Justice, and Prosperity… OUR VISION Eliminate disparities for all American Indian / Alaska Native people OUR COMMON GOAL To fully fund the Bureau of Indian Affairs Legal Basis for Federal Services – – – – – – – – United States Constitution Article VI The Snyder Act of 1921 The Transfer Act of 1954 Indian Sanitation Facilities and Services Action of 1959 The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (enacted 1975) Indian Health Care Improvement Act of 1976 The Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1986 The Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act of 1990 Southwest Priorities • Due to the lack of funding across the board for our programs, it is unrealistic to choose which program is a priority over another. • For too long, Tribes have been left with fighting over the scraps of an underfunded budget. Education • Maintain continuity of funds for the JOM program • Provide funding for increased student count • Provide funding for culturally relevant programs including the Native language • Increase Scholarship funding for higher education opportunities Public Safety & Justice and Law Enforcement Services • • • • • Detention Services Tribal Justice Drug Task Forces Step up Traffic Citations Decrease highway fatalities, property crimes, illegal drug activities Law Enforcement Services • Achieve parity with national rate of police officers per thousand population • Law Enforcement initiative that will provide sustained, and adequate budget resources over several years to support hiring, training and equipping of police officers. • Recruitment and retention of Law Enforcement personnel. Tribal Justice/Courts • Fully fund the Indian Tribal Justice Act of 1993 • Fund professional court positions • Recruitment and retention of Tribal Judges • Upgrades to technology, training and law references Tribal Justice/Courts Cont’d • Technical assistance to Update legal codes • Reengineer juvenile justice systems • Operate drug and DWI courts • Prevention programs to reduce repeat offenders • Increase use of technology Natural Resources • • • • • Real Estate Wildlife and Parks Agriculture and Range Forrest Water Development/Rights Range & Agriculture • Implementation of Best Management Practices • Habitat Restoration • Protection from Deterioration Range & Agriculture • Complete Range and Vegetation Surveys • Prepare Rangeland and Farmland Management Plans Tribal Priority Allocation (TPA) Annually, tribes are requested to establish their budget priorities. The Southwest Regional Tribes contend that all Tribal Priority Allocation (TPA) programs are priorities. It is unrealistic to say that one program is more important than another, especially when they are all inadequately funded.