NAVAJO COMMUNITY COLLEGE ACT (DECEMBER 15, 1971) PUBLIC LAW 92-189

AN ACT To authorize grants for the Navajo Community College, and for other purposes

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Navajo Community College Act.”

PURPOSE

SEC. 2. It is the purpose of this Act to assist the Navajo Tribe of Indians in providing education to the members of the tribe and other qualified applicants through a community college, established by that tribe, known as the Navajo Community College.

GRANTS

SEC. 3. The Secretary of Interior is authorized to make grants to the Navajo Tribe of Indians to assist the tribe in the construction, maintenance, and operation of the Navajo Community College. Such college shall be designed and operated by the Navajo Tribe to insure that the Navajo Indians and other qualified applicants have educational opportunities which are suited to their unique needs and interests.

AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 4. For the purpose of making grants under this Act, there are hereby authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $5,500,000 for construction, plus or minus such amounts, if any, as may be justified by reason of ordinary fluctuations from 1971 construction costs as indicated by engineering cost indexes applicable to the types of construction involved, and an annual sum for operation and maintenance of the college that does not exceed the average amount of the per capita contribution made by the Federal Government to the education of Indian students at federally operated institutions of the same type.

(25 U.S.C. 640 a-c) Enacted Dec. 15, 1971, P.L. 92-189, 85 Stat. 646.

INDIAN

SELF-DETERMINATION

AND

EDUCATION ASSISTANCE ACT (JANUARY 4, 1975) PUBLIC LAW

93-638

AN ACT To provide maximum Indian participation in the Government and education of the Indian people; to provide for the full participation of Indian tribes in programs and services conducted by the Federal Government for Indians and to encourage the development of human resources of the Indian people; to establish a program of assistance to upgrade Indian education; to support the right of Indian citizens to control their own educational activities; and for other purposes

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act".

CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS

SEC. 2. (a) The Congress, after careful review of the Federal Government's historical and special legal relationship with, and resulting responsibilities to. American Indian people, finds that

(1) the prolonged Federal domination of Indian service programs has served to retard rather than enhance the progress of Indian people and their communities by depriving Indians of the full opportunity to develop leadership skills crucial to the realization of self-government, and has denied to the Indian people an effective voice in the planning and implementation of programs for the benefit of Indians which are responsive to the true needs of Indian communities: and

(2) the Indian people will never surrender their desire to control their relationships both among themselves and with nonIndian governments, organizations, and persons.

(b) The Congress further finds that

(1) true self-determination in any society of people is dependent upon an educational process which will insure the development of qualified people to fulfill meaningful leadership roles:

(2) the Federal responsibility for and assistance to education of Indian children has not effected the desired level of educational achievement or created the diverse opportunities and personal satisfaction which education can and should provide; and

(3) parental and community control of the educational process is of crucial importance to the Indian people.

DECLARATION OF POLICY

SEC. 3. (a) The Congress hereby recognizes the obligation of the United States to respond to the strong expression of the Indian people for self-determination by assuring maximum Indian participation in the direction of educational as well as other Federal services to Indian communities so as to render such services more responsive to the needs and desires of those communities.

(b) The Congress declares its commitment to the maintenance of the Federal Government's unique and continuing relationship with and responsibility to the Indian people through the establishment of a meaningful Indian self-determination policy which will permit an orderly transition from Federal domination of programs for and services to Indians to effective and meaningful participation by the Indian people in the planning, conduct, and administration of those programs and services.

(c) The Congress declares that a major national goal of the United States is to provide the quantity and quality of educational services and opportunities which will permit Indian children to compete and excel in the life areas of their choice, and to achieve the measure of self-determination essential to their social and economic well-being.

DEFINITIONS

SEC. 4. For the purposes of this Act, the term

(a) "Indian" means a person who is a member of an Indian tribe;

(b) "Indian tribe" means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation as defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (85 Stat. 688) which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians;

(c) "Tribal organization" means the recognized governing body of any Indian tribe; any legally established organization of Indians which is controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by such governing body or which is democratically elected by the adult members of the Indian community to be served by such organization and which includes the maximum participation of Indians in all phases of its activities: Provided, That in any case where a contract is let or grant made to an organization to perform services benefitting more than one Indian tribe, the approval of each such Indian tribe shall be a prerequisite to the letting or making of such contract or grant;

(d) "Secretary", unless otherwise designated, means the Secretary of the Interior;

(f) "State education agency" means the State board of education or other agency or officer primarily responsible for supervision by the State of public elementary and secondary schools, or, if there is no such officer or agency, an officer or agency designated by the Governor or by State law.

REPORTING AND AUDIT REQUIREMENTS

SEC. 5. (a) Each recipient of Federal financial assistance from the Secretary of Interior or the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, under this Act, shall keep such records as the appropriate Secretary shall prescribe, including records which fully disclose the amount and disposition by such recipient of the proceeds of such assistance, the cost of the project or undertaking in connection with which such assistance is given or used, the amount of that portion of the cost of the project or undertaking supplied by other sources, and such other records as will facilitate an effective audit.

(b) The Comptroller General and the appropriate Secretary, or any of their duly authorized representatives, shall, until the expiration of three years after completion of the project or undertaking referred to in the preceding subsection of this section, have access (for the purpose of audit and examination) to any books, documents, papers, and records of such recipients which in the opinion of the Comptroller General or the appropriate Secretary may be related or pertinent to the grants, contracts, subcontracts, subgrants, or other arrangements referred to in the preceding subsection.

(c) Each recipient of Federal financial assistance referred to in subsection (a) of this section shall make such reports and information available to the Indian people served or represented by such recipient as and in a manner determined to be adequate by the appropriate Secretary.

(d) Any funds paid to a financial assistance recipient referred to in subsection (a) of this section and not expended or used for the

purposes for which paid shall be repaid to the Treasury of the United States.

PENALTIES

SEC. 6. Whoever, being an officer, director, agent, or employee of, or connected in any capacity with, any recipient of a contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant pursuant to this Act or the Act of April 16, 1934 (48 Stat. 596), as amended, embezzles, willfully misapplies, steals, or obtains by fraud any of the money, funds, assets, or property which are the subject of such a grant, subgrant, contract, or subcontract, shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than two years, or both, but if the amount so embezzled, misapplied, stolen, or obtained by fraud does not exceed $100, he shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

WAGE AND LABOR STANDARDS

SEC. 7. (a) All laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or subcontractors in the construction, alteration, or repair, including painting or decorating of buildings or other facilities in connection with contracts or grants entered into pursuant to this Act, shall be paid wages at not less than those prevailing on similar construction in the locality, as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with the Davis-Bacon Act of March 3, 1931 (46 Stat. 1494), as amended. With respect to construction, alteration, or repair work to which the Act of March 3, 1921 is applicable under the terms of this section, the Secretary of Labor shall have the authority and functions set forth in Reorganization Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 (15 F.R. 3176; 64 Stat. 1267) and section 2 of the Act of June 13, 1934 (48 Stat. 948, 40 U.S.C. 276c).

(b) Any contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant pursuant to this Act, the Act of April 16, 1934 (48 Stat. 596), as amended, or any other Act authorizing Federal contracts with or grants to Indian organizations or for the benefit of Indians, shall require that to the greatest extent feasible—

(1) preferences and opportunities for training and employment in connection with the administration of such contracts or grants shall be given to Indians; and

(2) preference in the award of subcontracts and subgrants in connection with the administration of such contracts of grants shall be given to Indian organizations and to Indian-owned economic enterprises as defined in section 3 of the Indian Financing Act of 1974 (88 Stat. 77).

CARRYOVER OF FUNDS

SEC. 8. The provisions of any other laws to the contrary notwithstanding, any funds appropriated pursuant to the Act of November 2, 1921 (42 Stat. 208), for any fiscal year which are not obligated and expended prior to the beginning of the fiscal year succeeding the fiscal year for which such funds were appropriated shall remain available for obligation and expenditure during such succeeding fiscal year.

TITLE I-INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION ACT

SEC. 101. This title may be cited as the "Indian Self-Determination Act".

CONTRACTS BY THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR

SEC. 102. (a) The Secretary of the Interior is directed, upon the request of any Indian tribe, to enter into a contract or contracts with any tribal organization of any such Indian tribe to plan, conduct, and administer programs, or portions thereof, provided for in the Act of April 16, 1934 (48 Stat. 596), as amended by this Act, any other program or portion thereof which the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to administer for the benefit of Indians under the Act of November 2, 1921 (42 Stat. 208), and any Act subsequent thereto : Provided, however, That the Secretary may initially decline to enter into any contract requested by an Indian tribe if he finds that: (1) the service to be rendered to the Indian beneficiaries of the particular program or function to be contracted will not be satisfactory; (2) adequate protection of trust resources is not assured, or (3) the proposed project or function to be contracted for cannot be properly completed or maintained by the proposed contract: Provided further, That in arriving at his finding, the Secretary shall consider whether the tribe or tribal organization would be deficient in performance under the contract with respect to (A) equipment, (B) bookkeeping and accounting procedures, (C) substantive knowledge of the program to be contracted for, (D) community support for the contract, (E) adequately trained personnel, or (F) other necessary components of contract performance.

(b) Whenever the Secretary declines to enter into a contract or contracts pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, he shall (1) state his objections in writing to the tribe within sixty days, (2) provide to the extent practicable assistance to the tribe or tribal organization to overcome his stated objections, and (3) provide the tribe with a hearing, under such rules and regulations as he may promulgate, and the opportunity for appeal on the objections raised.

(c) The Secretary is authorized to require any tribe requesting that he enter into a contract pursuant to the provisions of this title to obtain adequate liability insurance: Provided, however, That each such policy of insurance shall contain a provision that the insurance carrier shall waive any right it may have to raise as a defense the tribe's sovereign immunity from suit, but that such waiver shall extend only to claims the amount and nature of which are within the coverage and limits of the policy and shall not authorize or empower such insurance carrier to waive or otherwise limit the tribe's sovereign immunity outside or beyond the coverage and limits of the policy of insurance.

CONTRACTS BY THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE

SEC. 103. (a) The Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare is directed, upon the request of any Indian tribe, to enter into a contract or contracts with any tribal organization of any such Indian tribe to carry out any or all of the functions, authorities, and responsibilities under the Act of August 5, 1954 (68 Stat. 674), as amended: Provided, however, That the Secretary may initially decline to enter into any