Senators Call for BIA Construction

WASHINGTON — A group of U.S. senators has called upon the Senate Budget Committee to increase the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ education construction spending by $240 million.

The seven senators, led by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), wrote a formal letter to the budget committee’s chairman Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), and ranking member Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) outlining why they would like the additional funds added to the proposed BIA construction account.

“For years, Indian school construction has been woefully under-funded,” says Sen. Franken. “There is a $1.3 billion backlog in construction needs. This funding is a start, but we have a long way to go.”

The 2011 budget proposal currently calls for $52.9 million in funding for 60 schools listed by the BIA in poor condition. This represents a cut of $8.9 million from 2010. Currently, 65,000 American Indian students attend 184 BIA-managed K-12 schools in 23 states.  

Other senators who signed the letter along with Sen. Franken include Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).