Tribal Issues - U.S. Senator Patty Murray

Tribes

Murray's Work

"Tribal communities face many challenges. But in Washington state, tribal leaders are working hard to address these difficulties and to improve the lives of their tribal members. At the same time, tribal businesses are creating new sources of revenue and putting people to work. Together they are building a better future for tribal communities. I’m proud to be their partner and support their efforts in the United States Senate.”

- Senator Patty Murray

Working to address a “Quiet Crisis”

Over the past several years, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has released several reports highlighting the “quiet crisis” facing Native Americans. These reports collectively document how the federal government has failed to meet its trust responsibility to tribes and has repeatedly failed to fund tribal programs and services at their level of need. To Senator Murray, these reports have only confirmed what tribal leaders have been telling her and what she has witnessed first-hand for many years.

Despite these reports, the Bush Administration has continually sent Congress budgets that continue to under-fund basic tribal programs. As a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committees, Senator Murray has been fighting to increase funding for tribes and tribal communities, especially in critical areas such as health care, education, transportation and infrastructure.

.........................................

Improving Tribal Health Care

Senator Murray strongly believes that improving the quality and availability of health care in tribal communities is one of the federal government’s greatest treaty obligations. When it comes to providing that care, however, the federal government has failed.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has released several reports documenting how the federal government has failed to uphold its trust responsibilities to tribes by failing to fund tribal programs and services at their level of need.

One such report, “Broken Promises: Evaluating the Native American Health Care System,” concluded that “persistent discrimination and neglect continue to deprive Native Americans of a health system sufficient to provide health care equivalent to that provided to the vast majority of Americans.”

Unfortunately, the constant under-funding of tribal health care continues today and has contributed to glaring disparities in the health status of tribal people.

To address the complex health care challenges facing tribal communities, Senator Murray has worked as a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committees to increase funding for health care programs.

Reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act

Senator Murray is also a cosponsor of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which will declare a new Indian health policy and will improve the lives of Native Americans.

Senator Murray will continue to work with tribal leaders and her colleagues in the Senate to move this important legislation forward.

.........................................

Supporting Education and Children

As a parent—and as a former pre-school teacher, PTA president, and school board member—Senator Murray knows how important education is in ensuring that every child has the opportunity to succeed. She has seen first-hand the challenges facing tribal schools, from a lack of teachers and resources to dilapidated buildings, and she has been working to address these issues. She has cosponsored legislation to improve tribal school programs, and worked to increase funding to support tribal education programs.

Supporting Tribal School Construction

The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) operates or funds tribal schools that provide services to more than 46,000 Native American students. In a 1997 report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that tribal schools were generally in poor physical condition, suffered from more environmental and facilities factors that hinder education reform, and were less likely to be able to support computer and communications technology than non-tribal schools. Sadly, these problems continue today.

To address these challenges, Senator Murray has fought to increase funding for BIA school construction and repair. Over the years, those increases have resulted in new schools being built in tribal communities throughout Washington state, including schools on the Lummi, Puyallup, and Colville Confederated Tribes reservations. She has also cosponsored the Indian Schools Construction Act, which would enable tribes to issue bonds for the purposes of school construction and repair.

Supporting Tribal Head Start

Throughout Washington state, tribal Head Start programs are helping children build the confidence and skills they need to succeed in school. At the same time, they are also helping tribes preserve their native language and culture.

The Head Start program is in need of reauthorization. As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Senator Murray believes that reauthorization must:

Include an increase in tribal Head Start funding;
Establish a tribal colleges and universities Head Start partnership program;
Require the Department of Health and Human Services to consult with tribes on program standards on an annual basis;
Encourage more research in the area of tribal Head Start;
Recognize the importance of native language immersion and cultural programs.