NCAI [National Congress of American Indians]-Vice President Letter

THE VICE PRESIDENT WASHINGTON October 4, 1999 National Congress of American Indians 56ᵗʰ Annual Session Palm Springs, California Dear Conference Attendees: I would like to extend my warmest greetings to all those attending the National Congress of American Indian annual conference in Palm Springs, California. I would like to extend special thanks to President Ron Allen and Executive Director JoAnn Chase for inviting me to speak at this conference. I sincerely regret not being able to be there in person, but I have asked Lynn Cutler, Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff on Native American issues, and Senior Advisor to me to convey to each one of you, my continuing commitment to work, on a government-to- government basis, with the tribes to build upon the good progress we have made in Indian Country. There is much to be done and you have my promise to fight to protect tribal sovereignty and promote self-determination. Now is a historic time for American Indian and Alaska Native communities to honor the past and to reach for the challenges of the future. Just last week, ground was broken for the new National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall in Washington, D.C. I was very pleased to see progress being made to recognize the important contributions that American Indians have made to this country. Now, for the first time, we have paid tribute to Native American culture in a lasting site in our Nation's capital. Education, health care, and economic development all serve as the building blocks to better opportunities. I support the President's landmark executive order on American Indian and Alaska Native Education in order to improve high school completion rates. I am committed to achieving these goals so that American Indian students receive the best education available and to continue to press for increased funding for the Tribal Community Colleges. We must continue to seek increased funding for BIA school construction and renovation so that the students attending these schools can work and play in an environment that facilitates learning. Last year, I had the privilege of participating in Access Native America Net Day where 28 BIA schools in four states were connected to the Internet in a single day. Today I am happy to report that we are well on our way to connecting all 185 Bureau of Indian Affairs schools to the Internet by the year 2000 with about half of the schools connected. This will give students in the BIA schools the chance to be full partners in the Information Age. As you all know, in July, the President made a historic visit to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota - one of the new Empowerment Zones. I will continue to fight for funding for Empowerment Zones in order to spur investment in distressed areas around the country and in PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER