Urge Support of SB 5709, Native American Opportunity Scholarship Act

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Res #: Committee: Submitted by: Title:         Pass → Yes No Amended/Tabled To NCAI
19-02 Education Patricia Whitefoot Urge Support of SB 5709, Native American Opportunity Scholarship Act X


 2019 Winter Convention 

Portland Oregon 

RESOLUTION #19 – 02 

“URGE SUPPORT OF SENATE BILL 5709, NATIVE AMERICAN OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP ACT” 

PREAMBLE 

We, the members of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants rights secured under Indian Treaties and benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and constitution of the United States and several states, to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following resolution: 

WHEREAS, the Affiliated Tribes of the Northwest Indians (ATNI) are representatives of and advocates for national, regional, and specific tribal concerns; and 

WHEREAS, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians is a regional organization comprised of American Indians in the States of Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Nevada, Northern California, and Alaska; and 

WHEREAS, the health, safety, welfare, education, economic and employment opportunity, and preservation of cultural and natural resources are primary goals and objectives of Affiliated Tribes of the Northwest Indians; and WHEREAS, on January 28, 2019 legislation was introduced by Senator John McCoy “…to provide scholarships to encourage Native American Washington residents to earn postsecondary degrees and credentials and remain in the state and their communities to work.;” and 

WHEREAS, the legislation is currently in the Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee and passage of SB 5709 will create the Native American Opportunity Scholarship as a step toward increased higher educational achievement in Washington among the diverse tribal citizens in the state; and 

WHEREAS, the program will be overseen by a newly created Native American Opportunity Scholarship Board which will provide oversight of a program administrator who will solicit and fundraise private and tribal funds for the program, which will include a state match that is earned for any and all private and tribal contributions for eligible students; now 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that ATNI does hereby endorse and support Senate Bill 5709 to establish the Native American Opportunity Scholarship in the State of Washington to help close the higher educational attainment gap for tribal communities and tribal colleges across the state; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that ATNI urges tribal leaders to contact and write letters of support to the Washington State Legislature to vote in favor of passage of Senate Bill 5709 in the 2019 Legislative Session. 

CERTIFICATION 

The foregoing resolution was adopted at the 2019 Winter Convention of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton – Portland, Oregon, on January 28-31, 2019, with a quorum present. 

______________________________ ______________________________ 

RES 18 40

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Appeal for the Uniform Use of ED506 to Improve Native Student Identification and Recruitment

Res #: Committee: Submitted by: Title:                                    Pass →                     Yes No Amended/Tabled To NCAI
Res-18-40 Education Patsy Whitefoot Appeal for the Uniform Use of ED506 to Improve Native Student Identification and Recruitment X no

WHEREAS, steps have been taken by American Indian/Alaska Native leadership to educate federal and state agencies about the unique role of tribes and to promote Indian selfdetermination on a government-to-government basis and to be consulted on issues significant to Indian Country; and

WHEREAS, American Indian/Alaska Native populations are often identified by the various federal and state agencies as a minority and the smallest ethnic group in the United States; and

WHEREAS, misidentification and under-identification of American Indian/Alaska Native students continues to be an issue in the schools at the K-12 level; and WHEREAS, ATNI has supported improvement of American Indian/Alaska Native student identification in the K-12 and higher education institutions with a previous Resolution #16-02; and

WHEREAS, form ED506 gathers important information to establish the eligibility of American Indian/Alaska Native students for services, however this process can be difficult to access, or may require parents and guardians to seek out enrollment forms which they may not be aware of; and

WHEREAS, the need exists for all K-12 paper and online student registration packets to contain the form ED506 and to be uniformly applied in the K-12 schools; now

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that ATNI joins in and supports the appeal to the K-12 school districts within the Northwest to take the necessary steps to engage families and students in order to improve the federal identification and eligibility processes for American Indian/Alaska Native students; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that ATNI does hereby urge the K-12 schools to realize the common vision to achieve equitable and optimal educational opportunities for students and families registering students by including the form ED506 in all school registration packets, so students can receive the culture based educational services they are eligible for.

RES 18 39

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Advance Tribal Sovereignty in the 2020 Census

Res #: Committee: Submitted by: Title:                                    Pass →                     Yes No Amended/Tabled To NCAI
Res-18-39 Education Patsy Whitefoot Advance Tribal Sovereignty in the 2020 Census X no

WHEREAS, the United States (U.S.) Census is mandated by the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. population is enumerated every 10 years and census data is used to allocate Congressional seats, electoral votes, and is the basis for allocation of more than $600 billion in funding allocations for federally funded programs; and

WHEREAS, federal funding for tribal schools and colleges, education, workforce and career readiness, Indian housing, Indian health, water and sewage projects, roads, economic development and other essential programs are utilized by both urban, rural and tribal communities and is based on data collected by the Census Bureau every ten (10) years; now

THEREFORE IT BE RESOLVED, that ATNI will partner with organizations to advance tribal sovereignty with organizations such as More Equitable Democracy and others to focus on racial equality and democracy reform; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, these organizations, such as, More Equitable Democracy and others, shall work with Tribal Governments and Tribal Organizations to ensure Census participation, training and education in rural and urban communities, voter registration, Get out the Vote activities, leadership development, and redistricting reform.