Bill Clinton 1996 On The Issues
A Record of
Partnership With American Indians and Alaska Natives
"My administration has worked in partnership with tribal leaders...to
protect American Indian religious freedom, promote tribal
self-determination, preserve tribal natural resources and provide
economic opportunity for Native Americans. I look forward to continuing
this government-to-government relationship in order to build on the
progress we have made in Indian Country.”
—President Bill Clinton
President Clinton is the first President to
invite the leaders of all Federally Recognized Tribes to the White
House. On this historic occasion, the President pledged that
his Administration would work with Tribal leaders to establish a true
government-to-government partnership. The Clinton Administration has
delivered on this commitment by:
Strengthening the Relationship Between the Federal
Government and Tribal Nations
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Hosting 100 Tribal leaders and directing all
federal agencies to consult with Federally recognized Tribal
Governments in formulating policies and programs that affect
American Indians and Alaska Natives.
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Creating the Office of Tribal Justice and hired the
largest force of Indian attorneys ever to promote
government-to-government relations with Indian Tribes and to
ensure aggressive representation of tribal sovereignty in the
courts.
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Establishing the American Indian Environmental
Office to work with Tribes to protect water quality and the
environment in Indian Country.
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Creating a permanent White House working group
composed of all Executive Branch Departments to advance Tribal
sovereignty across the administration.
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Reaffirming the sovereign status of 225 Alaska
Native tribes and extending federal recognition to 12 other Indian
tribes.
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Protecting Religious Freedom
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Signing an executive order to protect American Indian
and Alaska Native sacred sites. This was the first executive order
affecting American Indians and Alaska Natives since 1968.
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Successfully fighting for passage of the American
Indian Religious Freedom Act Amendments and the Religious Freedom
Restoration Act, to protect the right of free exercise of Tribal
religions.
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Directing federal agencies to ensure efficient
collection and distribution of available eagle feathers and eagle
parts to American Indians and Alaska Natives for traditional
religious purposes.
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Promoting Issues of Urban Indians
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Demonstrating a commitment to urban Indians by
hosting the first ever meeting of the National Urban Indian Policy
Coalition and an additional 9 sessions, and by providing this group
access to federal agencies.
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Promoting Tribal Self-Determination and Education
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Supporting passage and implementation of the Indian
Self-Determination Act and the Tribal Self-Governance Act, which
give Tribal governments control of most federal resources spent
within Indian Country.
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Successfully fighting Republican attempts to penalize
tribes for exercising their powers of self-governance and allowing
states to tax Tribal governments on new trust lands.
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Developing a plan to increase attendance and
graduation rates at, and increasing Tribal control over, Bureau of
Indian Affairs schools.
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Providing family literacy services to more than 1,100
families at 22 Indian schools through the Family and Child Education
Program.
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Providing Economic Development Opportunities in Indian Country
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Vetoing Republican appropriation bills that would
have drastically reduced funding for American Indian and Alaska
Native programs.
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Approving 145 tribal-state compacts to allow gaming
within Indian Country.
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Establishing 17 tribal business development centers
at Tribal Community Colleges across Indian Country.
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Signing the Community Development Banking and
Regulatory Improvement Act, which promotes more lending in Indian
Country.
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Protecting Tribal Natural Resources
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Establishing for the first time the right of Alaska
Natives to fish for subsistence purposes.
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Completing settlements of Shoshone-Bannock,
Yavapi-Prescott, and Northern Cheyenne Water Rights Claims and
maintained aggressive efforts to settle water claimes of other
Tribes.
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Supporting the exercise of Northwest Tribes' treaty
fishing rights.
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Supporting legislation which recognized the rights of
the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Crow
Tribe to their water and land.
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Providing Safety for American Indians and Alaska Native Families
Building on Our Progress
The Clinton Administration will continue to work with American Indian
and Alaska Native tribes on a government-to-government basis by:
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Continuing to support protection of Tribal natural
resources and the rights of Tribes, guaranteed by treaties, to the
beneficial use of those resources.
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Directing the Interior Department, Justice
Department, and Environmental Protection Agency to identify and
clean up environmental hazards within Indian country.
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Continuning to improve reservation economies and
ensure that good housing is available to American Indians and
Alaska Natives.
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Supporting the implementation of federal laws
providing for increased Tribal control over delivery and
administration of all governmental services within Indian Country.
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Continuing to promote measures such as the Indian
Child Welfare Act to protect Indian children, their families and
their culture.
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Source: Bill Clinton for President 1996 Web Site |
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