FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 1997
CONTACT: Christopher M. Changery
(202) 224-2251

TRIBES NEED ANA BILL TO CREATE JOBS, PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Indian Affairs Committee Chairman Ben Nighthorse Campbell today said legislation to reauthorize the Administration for Native Americans is necessary for tribes to protect their environments, preserve their cultures and provide higher standards of living for their members.

Campbell's statements were made at today's Committee hearing on S. 459, which would extend ANA programs until fiscal year 2000. Campbell introduced the bill last month with 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).

"The goal of ANA 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," Campbell said. "ANA is not business as usual. It does not rely on the heavy hand of Washington bureaucracy to provide much-needed assistance."

Created by the Native American Programs Act of 1974, programs administered by ANA include:

• Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS), used by tribes to expand businesses and create jobs;



• Environmental grants used to develop regulations and address damage done by military activities on or near tribal lands; and



• Native Languages Preservation.

"Since it was first enacted, ANA has been widely recognized as an extremely successful tool to leverage local expertise and innovation in our nation's native communities," Campbell said. "The funds are used by local authorities to address the needs most critical to local populations."

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