Keep this Bill in the Limelight and Urge its Passage
On May 19, 2009, the Native American Challenge Demonstration Project Act of 2009 (HR. 2507) was introduced in the House of Representatives. It was also introduced in the Senate on May 9, 2009, as S. 960. Currently, it has been assigned to committee for review in both the House of Representatives (Natural Resources Committee) and in the Senate (Committee on Indian Affairs).
The Act directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish and implement the Native American Challenge Demonstration Project through which federal economic development assistance may be provided for certain Native American communities. The Act would adapt the lessons of foreign aid to underdeveloped economies to the provision of Federal economic development assistance to similarly situated remote Native American communities.
It authorizes the Secretary to provide such assistance to Alaska Native nonprofit organizations, Native Hawaiian community organizations, and other Indian tribes that enter into Native American Challenge Compacts. It requires such Compacts to establish a multiyear plan for achieving certain development objectives, including promoting economic growth and the elimination of poverty, strengthening good governance, entrepreneurship, and investment in Native American communities, and enhancing the capacity of Alaska Native communities to deal with climate change.
As currently drafted the Act would authorize the project at $20 million a year for five years beginning in Fiscal Year 2010. It also seeks to better manage the distribution of federal funds to tribal entities from across six federal agencies -- the Departments of Commerce; Interior; Energy; Health and Human Services; Agriculture, and Housing and Urban Development.
This bill has been introduced in prior years and has not made it out of committee. Please contact your Senator or Representative about this bill and urge its passage. Likewise, you are urged to contact committee members in both the House and the Senate.
