and for institutions, like the IRI, to have access for sharing the use of Supercomputing capacity.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SUPERCOMPUTER

There is widespread recognition among the extramural research community for the necessity of improved capacity and backup among computers for the National Weather Service. There is also a recognized and documented need in NOAA for a backup computer for the NWS. Last year's shutdown of NOAA's main computer, and subsequent loss of forecasting ability, left the NWS unable to provide the services upon which U.S. citizens, state and local governments, and private industry have come to rely. The necessity of a backup is clear, and in times of non-use as a backup, NOAA's internal research demands for this capacity exist. This statement concerning NOAA's needs represents consensus among the extramural community for additional resources and Supercomputer capacity for NOAA and the NWS. Thank you for this opportunity to present and articulate the needs and request for climate modeling and research in the United States.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDIANS On behalf of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and its more than 200 member tribal nations, we are pleased to have the opportunity to present written testimony on fiscal year 2003 appropriations for Commerce-Justice-State.

The tragic events of September 11 brought forth the strength and the determination of our nation to survive in the face of adversity. It is this same spirit that has carried Indian Country through years of annihilation and termination. It is this same spirit that has propelled Indian Nations forward into an era of self-determination. And it is in this same spirit of resolve that Indian Nations come before Congress to talk about honoring the federal government's treaty obligations and trust responsibilities throughout the fiscal year 2003 budget process.

The federal trust responsibility represents the legal obligation made by the U.S. government to Indian tribes when their lands were ceded to the United States. This obligation is codified in numerous treaties, statutes, Presidential directives, judicial opinions, and international doctrines. It can be divided into three general areasprotection of Indian trust lands; protection of tribal self-governance; and provision of basic social, medical, and educational services for tribal members.

NCAI realizes that Congress must make difficult budget choices this year. As elected officials, tribal leaders certainly understand the competing priorities that members of Congress must weigh over the coming months. However, the fact that the federal government has a solemn responsibility to address the serious needs facing Indian Country remains unchanged, whatever the economic or political climate may be. We at NCAI urge you to make a strong commitment to meeting the federal trust obligation by fully funding those programs that are vital to the creation of vibrant Indian Nations. Such a commitment, coupled with continued efforts to strengthen tribal governments and to uphold the government-to-government relationship, will truly make a difference in helping us to create stable, diversified, and healthy economies in Indian Country.

NCAI's statement focuses on our key areas of concern surrounding the President's budget request. Of course, there are numerous other programs and initiatives within the Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill that are important to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Attached to this testimony is a breakdown of key programs for which we urge your support at the highest possible funding level as the appropriations process moves forward.

PUBLIC SAFETY

More than 200 police departments, ranging from tiny departments with only two or three officers to those with more than 200 officers, help to maintain public safety in Indian Country. According to a recent Justice Department1 study, the typical Indian Country police department has no more than three and as few as one officer patrolling an area the size of the state of Delaware.

The same study found that inadequate funding is "an important obstacle to good policing in Indian Country." According to DOJ, the appropriate police coverage com

1U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, Policing on American Indian Reservations, September 2001.

parison may be between tribal departments and communities with similar crime problems. Because the violent crime rate in Indian Country is more than double the national average, we should compare our police coverage with large urban areas with high violent crime rates. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, cities like Baltimore, Detroit, and Washington have high police-to-citizen ratios of 3.9 to 6.6 officers per 1,000 residents. On the other hand, virtually no tribal police department has more than 2 officers per thousand residents.

We can certainly point to the lack of an adequate police presence as a contributing factor to the crime rate that plagues many of our communities. The Bureau of Justice Statistics has just released findings that the violent crime rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives is twice as high as the rate reported by Hispanics and Whites and one and one-half times that of African-Americans.

Another contributing factor is our extremely limited jails space in which to house adult and juvenile offenders. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, tribal jail capacity exceeded 118 percent in 2000, an increase of seven percent from the previous year.

Given that the Justice Department itself just published a study that justifies the need to increase resources for Indian Country law enforcement, it is astounding to see that our law enforcement programs actually took a $40 million direct hit in the fiscal year 2003 budget request. The budget would eliminate all $35 million in tribal jail construction funding and would cut $5 million in tribal law enforcement_personnel funds. We strongly oppose these cuts, and request an increase to the fiscal year 2002 funding levels for Indian Country law enforcement programs.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Census Bureau's Poverty in the United States for 2000 showed that American Indians and Alaska Natives remain at the bottom of the economic ladder-with 25.9 percent of our population falling below the poverty line. This compares to an 11.9 percent poverty rate for all races combined. Today, unemployment rates in Indian Country are the highest in the nation, sometimes topping 50 percent. The development of new and diverse businesses in Indian Country is one cornerstone of selfsufficiency.

Many economic development programs that assist tribes would be cut or eliminated in the budget. The request for the Small Business Administration would eliminate One Stop Capital Shops, Micro-Loan Technical Assistance, New Markets Venture Capital, and BusinessLINC. The Administration also failed to request any funding whatsoever to establish the Office of Native American Business Development, as authorized in the Native American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act of 2000.

Furthermore, programs designed to help tribes close the "dial-tone divide" and improve the telecommunications infrastructures in their communities are eliminated outright or severely reduced in the President's budget. Nowhere is the lack of telecommunications infrastructure more apparent than in Indian Country. According to Commerce Department statistics, nearly forty percent of rural Native American households lack basic telephone service, and less than ten percent have a personal computer or any kind of access to the Internet.

Since 1994, the Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) has helped to improve the technology infrastructure in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. In fiscal year 2002, a record $4.23 million was provided to projects directly benefiting Indian Country. These grants, combined with contributions from the private sector and state and local organizations, extend the benefits of advanced telecommunications technologies to underserved communities.

Reducing or eliminating economic development tools for Indian Country is unthinkable in the face of the compelling needs that exist. NCAI has approved numerous resolutions 2 calling for increased support of economic development programs within the Small Business Administration and Department of Commerce, and we urge that these programs and others that are designed to promote tribal community development be fully funded.

CONCLUSION

Thank you for this opportunity to present written testimony regarding CommerceJustice-State appropriations programs that benefit Indian Country. The National Congress of American Indians calls upon Congress to fulfill the federal government's fiduciary duty to American Indians and Alaska Native people. This responsibility should never be compromised or diminished because of any political agenda or budg

2 See attached resolutions SPO-01-019, SPO-01–020, SPO-01-022, SPO-01–024.

et cut scenario. Tribes throughout the nation relinquished their lands and in return received a trust obligation, and we ask that Congress maintain this solemn obligation to Indian Country and continue to assist tribal governments as we build strong, diverse, and healthy nations for our people.

ATTACHMENT A.-COMMERCE-JUSTICE-STATE APPROPRIATIONS BENEFITING TRIBES

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

The budget request for the Commerce Department is approximately $5.2 billion, $14 million less than the estimate for the current year. Like last year, the Administration has proposed elimination of the Technology Opportunities Program, which in fiscal year 2001 provided $4.2 million in competitive grants to tribes and tribal organizations for the purpose of expanding telecommunications and technology in their communities. No funds were requested to establish the Office of Native American Business Development, as authorized in the Native American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act of 2000.

NCAI Resolution #SPO-01-020-Supports a $300 million increase to the Economic Development Administration in fiscal year 2003 to support increased financial assistance to tribal economic and development and planning projects, including tribal manufacturing.

NCAI Resolution #SPO-01-022-Supports funding for the Office of Native American Business Development.

Department of Justice Indian Country law enforcement programs took a hit in the fiscal year 2003 DOJ request, with the Administration proposing to eliminate all $35 million in tribal jail construction funding and to cut $5 million in tribal law enforcement personnel funds.

1 Fiscal year 2002 Juvenile Justice Funds also can be used for prevention activities focusing on alcohol and drugs.

2 As in previous years, fiscal year 2002 law enforcement personnel funds can be used for equipment and training.

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

The fiscal year 2003 request for the SBA is $798 million, down from $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2002 spending. While funding for Small Business Development Centers would rise under the President's proposal, many other programs that assist tribes would be eliminated.

NCAI Resolution #SPO-01-019-Support $25 million for SBA Office of Native American Affairs in fiscal year 2003 to provide training and technical assistance and to develop and expand Tribal Business Information Centers.

NCAI Resolution #SPO-01-024-Supports $750,000 in fiscal year 2003 to the SBA Office of Women-Owned Businesses to establish an American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Women Entrepreneur Outreach and Technical Assistance Pilot Project.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC-GREAT LAKES ORGANIZED CRIME LAW ENFORCEMENT NETWORK

The Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Program respectfully requests that Congress, as authorized in the USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001 (Public Law 10756) appropriate for fiscal year 2003, $50 million to continue their support in combating drug trafficking and organized crime.

These funds will enable RISS to continue its mandate of assisting law enforcement in identifying, targeting, prosecuting, and removing criminal conspirators involved in terrorism activity, drug trafficking, organized criminal activity, criminal gangs, and violent crime that span multijurisdictional boundaries. Funds will allow RISS to continue to support the investigation and prosecution efforts of almost 6,000 local, state, and federal law enforcement member agencies across the nation comprising 675,000 sworn law enforcement personnel.

Through funding from Congress, RISS has implemented and operates the only secure Web-based nationwide network-called riss.net-for communications and sharing of criminal intelligence by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Funds will allow RISS to upgrade the technology infrastructure and resources to support increased use and reliance on the system by member law enforcement agencies and support the integration of other systems connected to riss.net for information sharing and communication. Using Virtual Private Network technology, the law enforcement users access the public Internet from their desktop and have a secure connection over the private riss.net intranet to all RISS criminal intelligence databases and resources. RISS member law enforcement agencies accessed riss.net an average of 3.6 million times per month during fiscal year 2001. Riss.net is a proven, highly effective system that improves the quality of criminal intelligence information available and puts it in the hands of the law enforcement officers to make key decisions at critical points in their investigation and prosecution efforts.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) is a federally funded program comprised of six regional intelligence centers. The six centers provide criminal information exchange and other related operational support services to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies located in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, Canada, England, and Australia. These centers are:

-Middle Atlantic-Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network (MAGLOCLEN): Delaware, District of Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, and New York, as well as Canada and England.

-Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center (MOCIC): Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, as well as Canada.

ada.

-New England State Police Information Network (NESPIN): Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, as well as Can-Regional Organized Crime Information Center (ROCIC): Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

-Rocky Mountain Information Network (RMIN): Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as Canada. -Western States Information Network (WSIN): Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington, as well as Canada, Guam, and Australia.

Since the September 11th attacks, the idea of putting the right information in the right hands has been offered as a solution to the war on terrorism. Because of this, information technology will play a key role. The RISS secure Intranet; a proven, trusted law enforcement-sharing network will play a vital role in responding to terrorist activity.

RISS is also a force multiplier in responding to increased violent criminal activity by street gangs, drug traffickers, sophisticated cyber criminals, and emerging crimi

nal groups that require a cooperative effort by local, state, and federal law enforcement. There is a rising presence of organized and mobile narcotics crime, distinguished by increases in drug-related emergency room incidents, increases in drug purities (especially heroin, methamphetamine, ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, and marijuana), and increasing communications sophistication by the criminal networks. Interagency cooperation has proven to be the best method to combat the increasing criminal activity in these areas. The RISS centers are filling law enforcement's need for rapid, but controlled sharing of information and intelligence pertaining to known or suspected drug traffickers and criminals. Congress funded the RISS Program to address this need as evidenced by its authorization in the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 and the USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001.

The success of RISS has been acknowledged and vigorously endorsed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), as well as other national law enforcement groups such as the National Sheriff's Association (NSA) and the National Fraternal Order of Police (NFOP). These groups have seen the value of this congressional program to law enforcement nationally and have worked with the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), and the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) to further strengthen the awareness of RISS. In fact, the National Association of Attorneys General passed a resolution calling for full funding for RISS and increased funding for the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).

According to the Executive Working Group for Federal-State-Local Prosecutorial Relations, in its publication titled, Toward a Drug Free America: A Nationwide Blueprint for State and Local Drug Control Strategies, "Each state should develop a computerized capacity to store, collate, and retrieve intelligence and historical information concerning drug offenders. Before initiating new computer projects, each state should take advantage of existing computerized information exchange_and pointer systems, such as the Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS). Each state should actively participate in multi-state, regional, and national information networking projects.'

RISS is operating current state-of-the-art technical capabilities and systems architecture that allow local, state, and federal law enforcement member agencies to interact electronically with one another in a secure environment. The RISS system has built-in accountability and security. The RISS secure intranet (riss.net) protects information through use of encryption, smart cards, Internet protocol security standards, and firewalls to prevent unauthorized access. The RISS system is governed by the operating principles and security and privacy standards of 28 CFR Part 23 (Criminal Intelligence Systems Operating Policies). The technical architecture adopted by RISS requires proper authorization to access information, but also provides flexibility in the levels of electronic access assigned to individual users based on security and need-to-know issues. Riss.net supports secure e-mail and is easily accessible using the Internet. This type of system and architecture is referenced and recommended in the General Counterdrug Intelligence Plan (GCIP).

The GCIP promotes federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement information sharing, and leveraging resources and existing cooperative mechanisms. RISS fully supports the GCIP and the following initiatives are underway related to action items in the Plan. RISS has entered into a partnership with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) to electronically connect all of the HIDTAs to riss.net for communications and information sharing. Currently 13 HIDTAs are electronically connected as nodes to riss.net and RISS is working to complete the connection of the remaining HIDTAS. Seven state agencies are currently connected as nodes on riss.net with an additional ten states pending connection. The National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) is a member of RISS and uses the RISS network as a communications mechanism for publishing counterdrug intelligence products to federal, state, and local law enforcement members. RISS and the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) officials entered into a partnership and have electronically connected EPIC as a node to riss.net to capture clandestine laboratory seizure data from RISS state and local law enforcement member agencies. Riss.net has also been recommended by Attorney General Ashcroft as the communications link to the ninety-three U.S. Attorney's offices for instant communication regarding terrorist activities. RISS needs funds to purchase hardware and software to support and integrate these systems that improve the accessibility to critical criminal intelligence for law enforcement agencies throughout the country.

RISS continues to promote interagency investigations by improving capabilities for member agencies to quickly and easily access RISS databases by expanding the enrollment of member agencies for access to riss.net through distribution of security hardware and software. Web browser technology has been implemented for use by member agencies in accessing the RISS intelligence database pointer system and