Mr. MILLER. In the village. Well, in or out of the village. Shareholders also live in Anchorage, Seattle, wherever they live. The CHAIRMAN. Who elects the members of the council? Mr. MILLER. The people living in the village who are tribal members. You have to reside in the village to be a member of the tribal council. You do not have to reside in the village to sit on the board of directors of the corporation. The CHAIRMAN. So tribal members do have some involvement in corporate activity? Mr. MILLER. Yes; they have some involvement, but the corporations are also bound by State and Federal laws as to what they can and cannot do. The tribal council, for instance, could set up massive social programs within the village for tribal members. The corporation has a problem with giving away assets in violation of State law. The CHAIRMAN. But the corporation is not run by outsiders? The CHAIRMAN. One would get the impression from your testimony that the corporation was some foreign entity but it is not, is it? Mr. MILLER. It is alien to the Native way. It is forcing formation of a corporation of shareholders under State and Federal laws and regulations and requirements as opposed to a tribal council. The CHAIRMAN. Is this the consensus view of all Native Alaskans? Mr. MILLER. I don't know of all Native Alaskans, sir. You can ask the ones who are here. [Applause.] The CHAIRMAN. I thank you very much, sir. STATEMENT OF TONY VASKA, ALASKA NATIVE COALITION ON EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING, BETHEL, AK Mr. VASKA. Senator Inouye, Senator Murkowski, members of the Select Committee on Indian Affairs, thank you for giving Alaskan Natives the opportunity to testify before you on the conditions of Alaska Natives in Alaska. My name is Tony Vaska and I am currently the Jobs Training Partnership Act Director for the Association of Village Council Presidents. I am also the chairman of the Alaska Native Coalition on Employment and Training, which is comprised of 12 JTPA employment assistance programs from throughout the State. I will concentrate my remarks on the areas of employment and training in Alaska. More specifically, about the JTPA programs that are administered by the Alaska Native organizations. I realize that there are many other equally important issues about the state of Alaska Natives, but those who have expertise in their various specialties will give you testimony better than I can today. A brief summary of the JTPA programs in the State of Alaska in trying to deal with the massive social dislocation by Alaska Natives shows these statistics-the latest completed statistics are from 1987-the total amount of money provided to the grantees by the Department of Labor is $2.2 million among the 12 regions. As has been provided to the committee, the last completed reported year, 1987, the statistics show that the Alaska Native organizations served 1,330 Alaska Native participants-1,122 were terminated from the program, 739 completed their training and entered employment of one type or another, 383 of those individuals went on to other training or successfully completed their intended training activities. The job placement rate for all Alaska Natives for 1987 by the JTPA programs run by the Alaska Native organizations was 61 percent. The kinds of training provided by the grantees include basic and remedial education, skill training, on-the-job training, and work experience opportunities. Additionally, the grantees provide for summer training for youth between the ages of 14 and 21. In their Pulitzer Prize article, The Anchorage Daily News, in January 1988 said, "Across the State more and more Alaska Natives are killing themselves and damaging their loved ones, deciding that life is no longer worth cherishing. Almost always alcohol is their final companion." This quote is the same one used in the beginning of the AFN report on "The Status of Alaska Natives: A Call for Action." While the call for action by the Alaska Federation of Natives pinpoints a more grim picture of the Alaska Natives in many social and economic areas, and the AFN proposes some action, too little is suggested in real terms for Native people in the immediate future to break the cycle of devastating poverty and illness, both psychological and physical. The AFN report is correct in saying that there have been large gains within the Alaska Native population over the past 50 years in bringing up to par the lives of Alaska Native people through better medicines and cures for such diseases as tuberculosis and influenza. However, if you look at the health crises areas of suicide, homicide, accidental death and injury, crime and incarceration, and children in peril, then the numbers of Native people directly affected are staggering to the imagination. One area of trying to curb this crisis that I am currently involved with is job training and education. In the case of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), there have been some successes that are worth talking about. While I can't talk about the more than 1,300 participants we serve on a yearly basis, it surely does not come close to meeting all of the needs of the Alaska Native people in training and employment. We, in the field of job training, keep in mind that we are contributing to the welfare of Native people despite some institutional constraints found in the regulations governing the JTPA program. In addition to the JTPA programs, most Alaska Native organizations are also taking full advantage of the jobs opportunities and basic skills training funds available through the passage of the Family Support Act of 1988. Due to the fact that the regulatory and program implementation of the program are still in the infancy stage, I will concentrate on the JTPA programs. I would like to add at this point, however, the reason the Alaska Native organizations applied directly to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement the jobs program is because we are experienced in providing training and employment services to Alaska Native people and we would like to continue to exercise this opportunity of self-determination. At the present time there are several proposals coming before Congress which are addressing the JTPA program. While none directly addresses the Indian and Native American grantees, history shows that when such changes occur there is a ripple affect that comes over to the Native program. This gives us reason enough to address the larger issues of the JTPA law and the regulations that the Department of Labor promulgates. For instance, while there is an Indian desk in the Department of Labor, there are few Indians and probably no Alaska Natives or Native Hawaiians on the staff who are intimately familiar with the Indian country issues, problems, and avenues for possible solutions. While there may have been an advisory committee to work for the Department of Labor JTPA program for State and counties, there has only been an advisory committee proposed for the Indian programs, despite the fact that the existing law requires consulting in good faith with the tribes. It only seems in order that Congress should hear directly from the Indians in providing services to Indians and, better yet, for using real self-determination to address issues and problems in Indian country. This public hearing today is an excellent example of going into Indian country to consult with tribes and tribal people and we thank you for that. Let me address Senator Simon's bill, S. 543, which seems to be the one most likely to make changes to the JTPA law. The change of the youth title seems to be in the right line by making the youth program a year-round program rather than just a summer program. This would help our organizations plan better for the whole year in specifically servicing those youth between ages of 16 and 21. The new legislation proposes to increase the age to 24. While we favor this change, there is an unintended impact that should be corrected. Currently there is a set aside for tribes and Alaska Native organizations in the amount equal to 3.3 percent of the Title II (A) funding. With the proposed changes of reducing Title II (A) by 40 percent to add it to a new Title II (B), the set aside cut in Title IV of the Indian Title, the funding cut would also mean 40 percent. I doubt that Congress intends to cut the Indian and Native American youth funding by 40 percent. If that is the case, I suggest that appropriate changes be made to avoid this cut by continuing the current relationship between the Indian Title IV and summer youth programs. The formula in S. 543 would have to be amended clearly for Indian set aside and the funding level set at approximately 3 percent to achieve the similar set aside presently being used. Additionally, the "Fair Chance" section in the Youth Title should also include a set aside for Native programs. This set aside funding process used by Congress is an adequate though antiquated method for contin ing the government-to-government relationship between the Federal Government and the tribes. While we can show some good results coming from the JTPA programs, there are some problems which should be addressed by Congress. Congress intended that the law should be run in such a way as to meet the goals of Indian tribes, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiian organizations. The law says that the policies for the programs should be developed in consultation with tribes and organizations. Unfortunately, this congressional intent is only loosely being followed. Some examples of this are the performance standards set by Labor in regard to the real economic conditions of Native people. Some of these standards ignore the most serious needs of Native workers. For instance, it takes more than the standard of limited funding to adequately train a high school dropout with limited basic skills and education; yet, one of the more stringent performance standards we face as trainers is cost per participant. I assure you there are other problems with existing performance standards as they affect Native programs. The classic one is the entered employment rate. If what we tell you is true in Indian country, that there are few job opportunities or opportunities for creating jobs, then the performance standards to place Native people in jobs is stressful for both the service provider and the participant. Nevertheless, the statistics show that despite this, we have placed 61 percent of the participants on jobs. Finally, the last performance standard is positive termination. While most of the grantees across the nation meet this standard, it is increasingly difficult to constantly tell Native people that simply finishing a training or educational program is positive. Most are interested in real jobs that are long-term and satisfying to their wellbeing. If you have not already heard the many grim statistics and desperate needs of the Alaska Natives, then you probably will throughout this hearing. The JTPA programs offer some solution to helping alleviate these problems through training and education to build self-esteem, economic and social lives with services provided directly by Native organizations for Native people. We ask that this self-determination effort not be hand-cuffed with bureaucratic shackles and what sometimes seems like internment cycles of grave risks and declining economic opportunities. While the AFN report gives broad suggestions of new policies and government priorities, we in the training and employment field offer these recommendations to (1) improve on that Congress intent for jobs training for Native people, and (2) to promote another congressional intent-self-determination by Native people to work jointly for the betterment of Native people and, ultimately, the country. After all, the JTPA's principal purpose states that Indian and Native American programs "shall be administered in such a manner as to maximize the Federal commitment to support growth and development as determined by representatives of the Indian and Native American communities and groups served by this section." Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you in regards to this. Once again, thank you very much for coming to Alaska to hold public hearings. [Prepared statement of Mr. Vaska appears in the appendix.] The CHAIRMAN. May I suggest and request that you prepare a memo for me in greater detail on the JTPA program as it relates to Alaska Natives? I will share this with Senator Simon and the members of his committee. Mr. VASKA. Thank you. I will do that. Senator MURKOWSKI. Tony, in your statement about extending it to year-round, what areas are you looking at specifically? Obviously, we have a seasonal consideration. Mr. VASKA. Currently we have a couple of programs that both the State and the Native organizations run for youth in occupational classes-I think it's called vocational education now-where they work within their communities. There is a classic example at St. Mary's where the students work in the communities and businesses and organizations. The community was very responsive to that. That's a year-round program, not necessarily limited to the summer. Senator MURKOWSKI. You've got a very good record of job placements and I'm very interested, Mr. Chairman, in following up on the specific concerns which Tony's identified. The CHAIRMAN. I thank you very much, sir.. Before calling up the members of the second panel, may I invite those of you who wish to sit to come forward? The jury box is open, so if you prefer sitting to standing, there are a few seats there available. The second panel consists of the following: Mr. Caleb Pungowiyi, President of the Kawerak Village of Nome; Mr. Willie Hensley, President of NANA Corporation of Kotzebue; Ms. Beverly Hugo, Health Educator of Barrow; Mr. Barry Gold, Northern Lights Recovery Center of Nome; and Mr. Alan Larson, Tribal Chairman of Chickaloon. STATEMENT OF CALEB PUNGOWIYI, PRESIDENT, KAWERAK INC., NOME, AK Mr. PUNGOWIYI. Good morning. My name is Caleb Pungowiyi. I am President of Kawerak Incorporated, a non-profit corporation serving the villages of the Bering Straits Region. I would like to thank the members of the committee and the Chairman for this opportunity to testify in the AFN report "A Call for Action." I agree with a number of individuals who have testified previously that the report, if anything, understates the problem existing in rural Alaska. The majority of us agree that alcohol abuse is the major problem facing our villages. It is symptom of a problem that goes deeper than just the abuse itself. In order to address the problem, we need to attack it on two fronts: (1) we need to work with individuals, families, and communities to alleviate substance abuse problems, and (2) we need to look at preventive programs that will prevent abuses from occurring. I urge this committee to use its influence to make available programs to directly fund communities to address alcohol and substance abuse. Funding ideally should go to the communities. Village residents tend to view alcohol and substance abuse as resulting from social factors rather than clinical factors. The solutions they propose are likely to be social in nature. It is the communities themselves and not outside providers that know how best to resolve its social problems and what can be most effective in combatting the serious problems that currently exist. The key to preventing substance abuse is a positive sense of selfworth. We feel that this can be provided through educational curriculum within the school districts. Such programs as "Native Awareness," which stress cultural pride, cultural heritage, language, and alcohol prevention abuse, should be incorporated into |