Resolution #SAC-12-046
TITLE: Support for Education and Workforce Training Programs Administered by Tribal Colleges Funded through the Department of Labor
WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American 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 the inherent sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States, to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the health, safety and welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and
WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was established in 1944 and is the oldest and largest national organization of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments; and
WHEREAS, in recent rounds of funding provided by the Department of Labor for training of workers displaced due to jobs lost to employers in other nations, several tribal colleges have received large training grants for tribal citizens that supplement and enhance the educational opportunities already afforded to tribal citizens through tribal colleges generally; and
WHEREAS, funding for these programs is not subject to Congressional appropriation, as the funds for these programs come from duties imposed under federal foreign trade laws; and
WHEREAS, many thousands of tribal citizens are being trained under these grants in jobs that are in demand in the U.S. economy; and
WHEREAS, a critical component of such job training programs is assisting the trainees to obtain the motivation needed to continue working after the training has been received and the person trained becomes part of the work force; and
WHEREAS, these programs are an essential part of the creation of job opportunities for tribal citizens both on and off the reservations.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the NCAI urges the Department of Labor to continue such programs, and offer them as widely as possible to tribal nations and tribal colleges throughout the United States, so as to train as many tribal citizens as possible to be part of the workforce within their tribes and within the world around them; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy of NCAI until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent resolution.
CERTIFICATION
The foregoing resolution was adopted by the General Assembly at the 2012 Annual Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held at the Sacramento Convention Center from October 21-26, 2012 in Sacramento, California, with a quorum present.
President
ATTEST:
Recording Secretary