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Indian
Country
I
am proud to represent the nine, federally-recognized
Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota tribes of South Dakota.
The federal government has a unique responsibility
to federally-recognized tribes. This government-to-government
relationship is established by our founders in the
U.S. Constitution, recognized through hundreds of
treaties, and reaffirmed through executive orders,
judicial decisions, and congressional actions.
In
Congress, it is my priority to ensure that the federal
government respects tribal sovereignty and upholds
its trust responsibility. I continue to work on many
fronts to improve conditions in Indian Country, including:
Tribal
Law Enforcement and Justice
The federal government has a responsibility to public
safety in Indian Country, but all too often, the government
fails to provide the officers, equipment, and other
resources necessary to keep tribal communities safe.
Nationwide, less than 3,000 law enforcement officers
patrol more than 56 million acres of Indian Country,
which reflects less than one-half of the law enforcement
presence in comparable rural communities nationwide.
As a result, the crime rates are startlingly high,
including the fact that Native women are 2.5 times
more likely than non-Native women to suffer sexual
abuse during their lifetimes.
In
April 2009, I introduced H.R.1924, Tribal Law and
Order Act, which would begin to address many systemic
flaws within the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Department
of Justice that have led to these problems. Furthermore,
improving public safety requires federal investment
in tribal courts, jails, juvenile detention facilities,
rehabilitation programs, officer recruitment and retention,
and other necessary components. I continue to work
closely with tribal leaders and my colleagues in Congress
to continue to address this complex problem.
Health
Care
The Indian Health Service (IHS) is charged with providing
healthcare to Native Americans. I continue to work
with my colleagues in the House to reauthorize the
Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which would modernize
the Indian Health Service and would authorize much-needed
resources to Native communities to address health
care needs. Furthermore, I support efforts to fully
fund the Indian Health Service, as many IHS units
are funded at less than 50 percent of their level
of need.
Education
Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders,
and we must invest in all levels of education in our
public schools and Bureau of Indian Education schools.
We must continue to consider barriers facing Bureau
of Indian Education schools in improving student achievement
under No Child Left Behind. Furthermore, we must address
the school construction needs of many reservations,
as schools across Indian Country need significant
maintenance and repair.
Economic
Development and Renewable Energy
South Dakota tribes are working to strengthen their
economies through a variety of economic development
activities, and the federal government should continue
to look for ways to support these initiatives. In
particular, tribal reservations in South Dakota are
blessed with an abundance of renewable energy potential,
especially wind energy. I support legislation that
would enable tribes to transfer any production tax
credits to partnering entities in order to spur further
wind development in Indian Country. I will continue
to work with tribal leaders to address the challenges
they encounter as the work to improve the economic
conditions in their communities.
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