Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Chair, I thank Mr. Gosar, Mr. Calvert, and Ms. McCollum for their help in all this.

This amendment, which I support, would fund the BIE to the administration's fiscal year 2016 request, but unlike that request, it is paid for and adheres to our budget cap.

This year, as the chairman of the Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee, I have had the opportunity to visit several BIE schools in Arizona and Minnesota.

During these visits, I have seen firsthand the challenges that the BIE faces. These challenges consist of crumbling school buildings, inadequate technology and Internet connectivity, transportation issues, and inconsistent management.

These are all serious challenges, and they are all well documented by my official visits, by committee hearings--such as those being done by Mr. Calvert's subcommittee and mine--by GAO reports, and by the media.

This increase in funds will help address the identified challenges by providing the resources needed to improve the academic achievement and increase the graduation rates of Native American students that attend BIE schools. This is the goal of all of us for Native American children.

Mr. Chairman, I look at this as a bipartisan issue and appreciate my colleagues' support of Mr. Gosar's amendment.

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