Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, in 1996 the Congress enacted historic legislation involving the financing, construction, and maintenance of housing for Indian people. With the enactment of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA), Indian housing is no longer solely in the province of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

With NAHASDA tribes have the opportunity to develop and implement housing plans that meet their needs and values, and can do so in a way that is more efficient. I am hopeful that the success achieved by tribes participating in the Indian Self-Determination and Education Act and the Self- Governance Act programs can be duplicated in the housing arena with the implementation of NAHASDA.

The Act requires that funds for Indian housing be provided to Indian tribes in block grants with monitoring and oversight appropriately provided by HUD. By empowering the tribes themselves and decreasing tribal reliance on the federal bureaucracy, this Act is consistent with principles of tribal self-determination and self-sufficiency that have been the hallmark of federal Indian policy for nearly thirty years.

By the terms of the Act, NAHASDA becomes effective October 1, 1997. This will mean sweeping changes in the way housing is built and financed in Indian country. It is my hope that we can build on the NAHASDA model and encourage related initiatives such as banking, business development, and infrastructure construction.

Even though NAHASDA has yet to be implemented, both HUD and the tribes agree that there are sections in the Act that need clarification. The bill I am introducing, the "Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1997", provides the required clarification and changes that will help tribes and HUD in achieving a smoother transition from the old housing regime to the new framework of NAHASDA.

The proposed amendments contained in this bill are partly the result of a hearing held by the Committee on Indian Affairs in March, 1997, which focused on the management of Indian housing under the old HUD-dominated regime.

Tribal leaders, Indian housing experts, and federal officials testified about funding problems and other matters, including the proper level of oversight and monitoring. The focus of the hearing was constructive and with an eye toward encouraging a better managed and more efficient Indian housing system.

After auditing Indian housing programs from around the nation, and after reviewing HUD's monitoring and enforcement provisions, HUD's Inspector General testified as to perceived problems in the old housing regime and the NAHASDA framework. The IG's testimony included her opinion that clarifications were needed in the NAHASDA including minor changes to the Act's enforcement provisions.

My goal as Chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs is to ensure that housing funds are used properly and within the bounds permitted by law. I also want to ensure that, consistent with federal obligations to Indian tribes, tribal members are properly housed and living in decent conditions.

I am confident that with the implementation of NAHASDA, tribes will be able to better design and implement their own housing plans and in the process will be able to provide better housing to their members. In making the transition from dominating the housing realm to monitoring the activities of the tribes, HUD needs guidance from the Committee as to its proper role and responsibilities under the Act.

The Act, and the amendments I am proposing today, will go a long way in making sure that the management problems that were associated with the old, HUD-dominated housing system will not be part of NAHASDA.

I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the bill be printed in the RECORD, and urge my colleagues to join me in enacting these reasonable amendments.