WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, announced the committee’s passage of S. 943, the Johnson-O’Malley Supplemental Indian Education Program Modernization Act.
The legislation is sponsored by Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Steve Daines (R-MT), and James Lankford (R-OK).
“This bill will require an updated student count used by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to provide its yearly funding distribution to contracting parties in Johnson-O’Malley programs,” said Hoeven. “It’s been over twenty years since that count has been officially updated, despite the substantial growth in the number of potentially eligible Indian children. This is an important program, and for some Indian children, it’s a lifeline – the only source for basic school supplies.”
The committee held a legislative hearing on the bill on July 12, 2017. The bill, as amended, was reported favorably out of committee.