Press Releases

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Ed Case (HI-01), a member of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for all federal discretionary spending, today announced that the just-enacted $1.5 trillion measure to fund the federal government for the current 2022 fiscal year (FY) includes millions in funding he sought and secured to advance the specific and often unique cultural, economic, educational, health and other needs of Native Hawaiians.

H.R. 2471, the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2022, passed Congress last week and was signed into law by the President today. Case focused on a number of Native Hawaiian initiatives as a member of both the Appropriations Committee and of the House Committee on Natural Resources and of its Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States with jurisdiction over federal Native Hawaiian laws and programs.

“Native Hawaiians are the indigenous peoples of our country whose homeland is Hawai’i. Our nation's historical and unique legal relationship with the Native Hawaiian Community has been consistently recognized and affirmed through laws that extend to Native Hawaiians many of the rights, privileges and programs accorded to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Just as Native Hawaiians are a unique community within our national fabric, so are many of their challenges and needs,” said Case.

“I am gratified that Congress has once more recognized the importance of supporting federal programs and initiatives that seek to strengthen the lives and livelihoods of Native Hawaiians. I will continue working to ensure Native Hawaiian Organizations take full advantage of these federal funds and that Native Hawaiian-serving programs are efficiently and appropriately administered at the agency level.”

Last year, to set the groundwork for his FY22 appropriations efforts, Case testified personally at the House Appropriations Labor-HHS-ED Subcommittee Member Day to discuss the importance of adequately funding Native Hawaiian-serving programs. His full testimony is here.

Below is a full list of provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 pertaining to the Native Hawaiian community:

AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES

Agricultural Programs

·         Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Participation: Report language (Congressional directives) to urge the Secretary of Agriculture to draft and implement a plan to support AANHPI farmers applying to and participating in the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers program.

·         National Institute of Food and Agriculture Research and Education Activities: $4 million for Education Grants for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, a $806,000 increase over FY 21 enacted level—the first increase for this vital program in years.

Rural Development Programs

·         Indian Country Broadband: Report language that urges the U.S. Department of Agriculture to responsibly and efficiently take action to increase access to broadband on entities related to Hawaiian Home Lands.

Domestic Food Programs

·         Barriers to Accessing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Report language to increase efforts to address barriers to accessing SNAP in Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Black and Latino communities.

COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES

Department of Commerce

·         Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA): $55 million, an increase of $7 million above the FY 21 enacted level, toward cooperative agreements, external awards and grants,

·         Native American populations: $3 million directed specifically to continue the entrepreneurship pilot initiated in the previous fiscal year with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Servicing Institutions, Alaska Native Serving Institutions, Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges and Universities.

·         Native American Business Development: $3 million for the MBDA to award grants to address barriers to economic development for Tribes and American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian populations.

 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

·         Military Contracting: Report language to maintain military contracting preference for Native American tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations.

 

FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT

Small Business Administration

·         Native American Outreach: $3 million for the Native American Outreach Program, equal to the FY 21 enacted level, to ensure that American Indians Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians have full access to SBA’s entrepreneurial development, lending and procurement programs.

·         Community Project Funding: $500,000 for the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture Small Business Incubator Project at Leeward Community College (Case).

Federal Communications Commission

·         Broadband Connectivity: Report language urging the FCC to increase access to broadband on Tribal lands and Hawaiian Home Lands and to use all available resources to support consultation with federally recognized Indian Tribes, Alaska Native villages and entities related to Hawaiian home lands.

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund

·         Native American Initiatives: $21.5 million for the Native American CDFI Assistance Program to provide funding to build capacity of certified Native CDFIs, emerging Native CDFIs and sponsoring entities and to increase access to capital in Native communities.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES

Department of the Interior

·         Office of the Secretary: $1 million to carry out land assessments, appraisals, surveys and other activities in support of the Secretary’s responsibilities under the Hawaiian Home Lands Recovery Act.

·         Native Hawaiian Consultation: Language directing the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, an office within the Department of Interior, to expand the federal government’s consultation efforts with the Native Hawaiian Community.

·         Cultural Programs: $2.1 million for Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation grants that provide financial assistance to nonprofit organizations or institutions that support Native Hawaiian or Alaska Native culture and arts development.

·         National Recreation and Preservation: $1.5 million, an increase of $250,000, for the National Park Service American Indian and Native Hawaiian Art and Culture Grants program.

·         Community and Economic Development: $7.5 million to be used for grants to Tribal Organizations and Native Hawaiian Organizations to promote sustainable native tourism activities.

·         Advisory Council on Historic Preservation: $8.2 million, $855,000 above the FY 21 enacted level, to assist Tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations with the National Historic Preservation Act’s Section 106 process, which requires Federal agencies to consider the effects of their projects on historic properties.

·         Saving America’s Treasures Grants: $26.5 million, $1.5 million increase over FY 21 enacted level, to provide preservation and conservation assistance to nationally historical properties and collections. Eligible entities include federally recognized Indian Tribes, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiian Organizations.

 

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES

Department of Labor

·         Native American Programs: $57 million to support Native American job training programs authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.

Department of Health and Human Services

·         Native Hawaiian Health Care Program: $22 million, a $1.5 million increase over the FY 21 enacted level to support activities and initiatives under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act.

·         Family Violence and Prevention Services: $1 million to create a new Native Hawaiian Resource Center on Domestic Violence within the Family Violence Prevention Program. It provides supportive services for adult and youth victims of family violence, domestic violence and dating violence and to prevent such incidents in Native Hawaiian communities.

·         Native American Caregiver Support Services: $11 million, a $1.5 million increase over FY 21 enacted level, provides funding for eligible organizations to provide support for family and informal caregivers of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians.

·         Native American Nutrition and Supportive Services: $36 million for Native American Nutrition and Supportive Services grants to promote the delivery of nutrition and home and community-based services to Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian kūpuna.

·         Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity: $1 million to fund the Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity in the Office of Minority Health to advance indigenous solutions to achieving health equity and encourage the Department of Health and Human Services to partner with universities in these efforts.

Department of Education

·         Education for Native Hawaiians Program: $38 million, a $1.5 million increase over the FY 21 enacted level, to support supplemental education services for Native Hawaiian children including to provide for teacher training, family-based education, gifted and talented education, special education, higher education and community-based learning centers.

·         Strengthening Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions: $21 million, a $2 million increase over FY 21 enacted level, to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional management and fiscal stability of eligible institutions that serve Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities.

·         Native American Programs: $14 million for Native American language preservation activities and $5.5 million for language immersion programs authorized by the Native American Programs Act, as amended by the Esther Martinez Native American Language Preservation Act of 2006.

·         International Education and Foreign Language Studies: $500,000 to establish the first-ever Native American Language Resource Center, which will support higher education institutions in teaching and learning languages, including research on new teaching methods for educators and developing instructional materials, among other things.

Institute for Museum and Library Services

·         Native American/ Hawaiian Museum Services: $2.2 million, equal to the FY 21 enacted level, to provide grants to Native American-serving organizations and federally recognized tribes to sustain indigenous heritage, culture and knowledge through museum-related services.

·         Native American/ Hawaiian Library Services: $5.2 million, equal to the FY 21 enacted level, for programs to archive, preserve and make accessible materials or services focused on preserving Native Hawaiian history and culture.

 

MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES

Department of Veterans Affairs

·         Veteran Health Care in the Pacific: Report language to promote additional research, service and education to improve the lives of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and United States-Affiliated Pacific Islander Veterans.

·         Native American Veteran Housing: $1.4 million, an increase of $214,000 above FY 21 enacted level, to make direct housing loans to Native American Veterans for the purpose of purchasing, constructing or improving dwellings on trust lands including Hawaiian Home Lands.

 

DEPARTMENTS OF TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES

Department of Housing and Urban Development

·         Office of Native American Programs: $1 billion for the Office of Native American Programs, which administers programs designed to support affordable housing and community development activities for Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians eligible to reside on Hawaiian Home Lands.

·         Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant: $22.3 million, an increase of $20 million over FY 21 enacted level, to provide grants to the State of Hawai‘i Department of Hawaiian Home Lands for housing housing-related assistance for eligible low-income Native Hawaiian families.

·         Native Hawaiian Housing Loan Guarantee Fund Program: $28 million in loan guarantee commitment authority to offer Native Hawaiian homeownership, property rehabilitation and new construction opportunities on Hawaiian Home Lands.

A detailed summary of the bill is available here.  

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