2014-11: Support for Congressional Oversight Concerning the Bureau of Indian Education Restructuring and Blueprint for Reform

WHEREAS, the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was established in 1970 for the purpose of advocating, planning, and promoting the unique and special educational needs of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians; and

WHEREAS, NIEA, as the largest national Indian organization of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian educators, administrators, parents, and students in the United States, provides a forum to discuss and act upon issues affecting the education of Indian and Native people; and

WHEREAS, through its unique relationship with Indian nations and tribes, the federal government has established programs and resources to meet the educational needs of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, residing on and off their reserved or non-reserved homelands; and

WHEREAS, the Obama Administration has asserted broad executive authority in implementing the U.S. Department of the Interior Secretarial Order to Transform the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) as based on recommendations of the American Indian Education Study Group’s Blueprint for Reform; and

WHEREAS, there is broad based concern throughout Indian country, and with treaty tribes in particular, that the BIE realignment is creating statutory conflicts and being implemented without a congressional authorization and without congressional oversight; and

WHEREAS, The Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has not appeared before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to provide details concerning the BIE restructuring, nor has the Secretary provided congressional appropriations committees with a detailed budget request to pay for the restructuring; and

WHEREAS, Administration officials have erroneously testified to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs that there is no opposition from Indian country concerning the Blueprint for Reform; and

WHEREAS, to meet the federal government’s continuing trust responsibility and assess measurable trust standards in the field of Indian education including the entire trust corpus for treaty-based educational rights delivered through the BIE, it is essential that committees of jurisdiction in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U. S. Senate provide congressional oversight on executive actions concerning the BIE;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Indian Education Association directs the Board and Executive Director to request a congressional investigation into the Bureau of Indian Education restructuring and Blueprint for Reform to ascertain if the Secretarial Order creates a statutory conflict and to document Department of the Interior proposed offsets to pay for the restructuring; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the National Indian Education Association directs the Board and Executive Director to request oversight hearings by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and House Education and Workforce Committee and House Committee on Natural Resources and other appropriate congressional committees regarding the Bureau of Indian Education restructuring and Blueprint for Reform.