WASHINGTON, DC — As the top Republican on the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Lisa Murkowski today shared the results of her collaborations with Congressional Appropriations Committee members in crafting a 2015 Interior Department budget that addresses a number of core Alaska needs.  With the Department of the Interior managing a majority of Alaska’s lands, forests and waters – in addition to providing oversight of many services and programs for Alaska Natives and tribes – this bill has an oversized impact to Alaskans statewide.

Providing financial certainty to Alaska’s tribal health care providers, Murkowski successfully added more money than requested by the President for contract support costs (CSCs) in the 2015 budget – a welcome result after years of the government shortchanging their efforts.  Earlier this year, Murkowski led the effort with the Alaska delegation to fully fund CSCs to assure that tribal health centers could provide care for Alaska Natives, improving the health and well-being of Alaska’s First People and creating jobs for medical professionals and support staff.

“The federal government has a responsibility to Alaska and a solemn obligation to our First People to fulfill its commitments to us, our lands, our way of life, our safety, and our well-being,” said Murkowski.  “I thank Chairman Jack Reed and the House Interior Leadership for working with me to responsibly fund the Department of Interior’s large footprint in Alaska.”

Murkowski was able to leverage her position as Ranking Republican on the Committee to prioritize Alaska Native health care needs, public land usage, rural infrastructure, justice and public safety.

Alaska Tribal Priorities and Rural Communities

Delivering Care and Certainty for Native Health: Senator Murkowski secured an additional $79 million above last year’s level to address Contract Support Cost (CSC) shortfalls within the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service. Alaska tribes, who operate tribal self-governance agreements with the federal government to deliver health care services of the United States to Alaska Natives will be provided $200 million for the operational costs of those agreements. Adequate support for tribal self-governance compacts and contracts allows tribes to improve the delivery of health and social services.

Background:  For years, the administration shortchanged tribes nationwide by funding less than full contract support costs for the BIA and IHS.  It was Murkowski’s work in conjunction with her subcommittee colleagues, which culminated earlier this year to halt this practice.

Staffing of health facilities:  The bill fully funds the request of $71 million for staffing of new facilities across the nation.  In addition, full funding is provided to maintain staffing packages for facilities opened in Alaska during the past year and operated by the Southcentral Foundation, Norton Sound Health Corporation, Tanana Chiefs, the Barrow Hospital, Copper River, and Kenaitze.  The staffing packages will bring hundreds of jobs to communities.

Promoting and Empowering Tribal Justice:  Today’s bill not only includes over $352 million to support public safety and justice programs across the country, but requires the Department of the Interior to review and provide a report on the funding needs of tribal courts in states like Alaska that do not currently receive dedicated tribal court funding.

Safe Drinking Water and Wastewater Funding:  In contrast to the steep cuts proposed by the administration, Senator Murkowski helped maintain $17 million in support of Alaska’s efforts through the EPA’s State Water Revolving Funds program.

Rural Water Infrastructure:  The bill includes $10 million for EPA’s Alaska Native Villages program which provides grants to implement critical wastewater and drinking water projects for Alaska Natives.

Supporting Native Children’s Unique Needs:  Already the co-sponsor of a bipartisan bill to create a Commission on Native Children, Senator Murkowski sponsored language in the 2015 Interior funding bill to promote interagency collaboration to streamline efforts to improve “health care, social service, child welfare and juvenile justice programs.”  Murkowski believes these preliminary efforts will create a better foundation for the future commission to fully serve Native youth nationwide.

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