124th Morrison Congress

2nd Session

H.R. 124-004
Title of the Bill:

Native American Educational Funding Act

Main Author(s):

Rep. Lauren Baker (D-NJ)

Co-Sponsor(s):

Sen. Jada Hsiao (D-PA)

BE IT ENACTED BY THE MORRISON CONGRESS

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SECTION 1: Findings
Congress makes the following findings:
1) Native American youth have the lowest graduation rate and lowest
standardized testing scores of all the racial groups in the nation. The average
graduation rate of the United States is 80%, but the Native American
average is at an all time low of 67%.
2) Many Native American schools have been ignored and neglected by the
local government, leading to insufficient funding and unsuitable learning
conditions for the children, such as the lack of running water in some
facilities.
3) Native American schools offer fewer high-level courses than regular public
schools, such as Advanced Placement classes.
4) According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Native
American middle school students have struggled to keep up with basic
reading and math skills, and have shown almost no improvement over the
span of the last 10 years.

SECTION 2: Purpose
The purpose of the bill is to increase governmental funding for Native American
schools and facilities to increase the rate of high school graduation and increase
chances for higher education in Native American schools.

SECTION 3: General Provisions

This Act will require the national government to form a national budget for education
that increases the funding of Native American schools. (Increase the $20 billion
allocated to Native Americans to $50 billion, which will change the current spending
on education, $117.6 billion, to a total of $147.6 billion). This will help Native
American students reach higher levels of education and provide them with the
necessities they lack with insufficient funds. With more funding to these Native
American schools, students will have equal access to higher level courses and more
qualified teachers, which will assist and benefit the education of Native American
youth.
The Bureau of Indian Education has failed to manage their financial budget and
failed to hire a sufficient amount of certified staff to work at these schools. This Act
will strive to help Native Americans and their education system recover from the

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current situation and work to improve their education systems through increased
funding from the national government. This funding will be overseen by a committee
or organization to guarantee the funds are contributing to the benefits of Native
American youth. The money will go to building and repairing current Native schools
and facilities, hiring educators to work at these schools, providing the schools with a
broader curriculum (up to the level of normal public schools) and higher level
courses available, as well as designing culturally responsive programs to match the
unique needs of Native American students.
Providing Native Americans with the help they need to improve their standard of
living and education level can strengthen the relationship between the Native
American nations government and the United States government.
SECTION 4: Definitions
National Assessment of Educational Progress: the biggest nationally represented
assessment test in America that determines an American students skills in different
school subjects.
Native Americans: people who descended from pre-Columbian ancestors and are a
minority group in America today.

Works Cited:
1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/18/native-american-education_n_5593253.ht
ml
2) http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/11/06/native-american-students-left-behi
nd
3) http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/SAT-Percentile-Ranks-By
-Gender-Ethnicity-2013.pdf
4) http://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2013/#/gains-by-group