Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 2, 1 February 1992 — Congress aids Native Hawaiians [ARTICLE]

Congress aids Native Hawaiians

by Patricia Zell Chief Counsel/Staff Director U.S. Senate Select Committee on lndian Affairs Over the past year a lot has been heard about administration efforts to oppose programs for Native Hawaiians. Nevertheless, we were successful in securing the enactment of legislation that provides permanent authority for the appropriation of funds for infrastructure development on Hawaiian Home Lands.

It follows that the natural inelinahon was then to anticipate the next obstacle in our pursuit of federal funds to address the needs of Native Hawaiian communities. So it eame as a pleasant surprise (as I reviewed one appropriations bill in preparation for a legislative session conducted by the Hawaiian Civic Clubs) to be reminded of the funds that Sen. Daniel Inouye has secured, as a senior member of the Senate appropriation committee, in just one appropriations bill for the coming fiscal year.

I am not certain that this information is well known and so I am glad to have this opportunity to share it with you in Ka Wai Ola O OHA. This information represents only one appropriations bill — appropriations for Labor, Education, Health and Human Services — but it reminder us that there are many positive things

taking plaee at the federal level tliat affect Native Hawaiian. Funds for fiscal year 1992 Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act: $3.6 million for health care services for Native Hawaiians; $800,000 for health professions scholarships for Native Hawaiians; $450,000 for the administration of Papa Ola Lokahi; and $2.3 million to support the development of Native Hawaiian healing centers.

Health care in general: $5 million for rural health interdisciplinary training to address shortages of health care professionals in rural areas; $3.9 million for health education and training centers; two projects for Hawai'i to provide health services outreach to rural areas to increase health and mental health services in rural areas; $3 million to support cost of care and treatment for Hansen's disease patients; $1.4 million for loan repayment to health care providers who agree to serve in Native Hawaiian

healing centers or provide services to Native Hawaiians; $12.3 million in tuberculosis elimination grant funds with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to provide greater assistance to Hawai'i; a CDC study of the health effect of voleanie haze on the residents of Hawai'i island; CDC to develop and maintain better health statistics for Native Hawaiians focusing on Native Hawaiian health care needs; $2 billion for National Cancer Institute ($296.4 million more than in 1991); National Cancer Institute to increase efforts to significantly enhanee the Hawai'i Cancer Center's proqram efforts; NCI to

provide greater financial resources to support projects targeted toward Native Hawaiian women; NCI to develop a systematic and comprehensive plan for addressing the high incidence of cancer and mortality in the Native Hawaiian population, with emphasis on better screening and diagnosis; increased funds for training and career development for Native Hawaiian social work researchers; and, for aleohol, drug abuse and mental health services, Hawai'i will receive a substantial increase with 17 percent of it set aside for Native Hawaiians.

Education: $24.3 million to Native Hawaiians in impact aid funds to public schools; $1.2 million to Native Hawaiians for drug free schools and communities; a $6.4 million increase over the 1991 amount for the Native Hawaiian Education Act; $450,000for a model curriculum implementation program; $3.3 mil-

lion for family-based education centers; $1.2 million for higher education programs; $950,000 for gifted and talented program; $450,000 for special education program; direction to develop ancient Polynesian voyaging and 21st century space exploration programs in a gifted and talented program; $2.2 million for Native Hawaiian vocational education programs; and $615,120 to Native Hawaiians for public library programs.

01der Americans Act: $1.5 million in grants to Native Hawaiian public or non-profit private organizations serving at last 50 Native Hawaiians age 65 or older. Employment: $3.5 million for job training, vocational education and job placement; expansion of the Job Help Store program to improve employment status of Native Hawaiian particularly in public and civil service jobs; and 10 outreach programs for training and employment services to Native American veterans.

Eeonomie Development: $1 million in fiscal year 1992 for the Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund, all available for loans (no administrative expense); reauthorization of the Native American Program Act raising the ceiling on the Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund from $3 million to $5 million; and $34 million for social and eeonomie development grants administered by the Administration for Native Americans.

Housing: $1.2 million for infrastructure development in Hawaiian Home Lands and permanent authority to provide infrastructure development assistance to enable the Department of Housing and Urban DeveIopment to release $3.9 million in previously appropriated funds for infrastructure development to serve the Hawaiian Home Lands; and permanent authority for HUD mortgage loans on Hawaiian Home Lands with DHHL as guarantor.