The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has announced in the attached July 28, 2015, FEDERAL REGISTER notice that it will hold a tribal consultation session and preparatory teleconferences regarding ACF programs and tribal priorities. The consultation session will be in Washington, DC, on September 14, 2015, and will begin in the morning. Written testimony is requested by September 8, 2015, but the hearing record will be held open for 30 days after the consultation session.1
There are many ACF programs and grants of direct importance to tribes including:
• Title IV-B, Subparts 1 and 2, Child Welfare and Promoting Safe and Stable Families
• Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance
• Child Support Enforcement
• Child Care and Development Block Grant
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
• Native American Employment Works Program
• Head Start
• Family Violence and Prevention Services
• Heath Professions Opportunity Grants
• Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program
• Administration for Native Americans grant programs (including Environmental Regulatory Enhancement; Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance; and Social and Economic Development Strategies for Native Americans)
There is also the issue of ACF resistance to the tribal proposal for improving and including additional programs in the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Demonstration Act (or the “477” program). Pending legislation introduced by Representative Young (R-AK), HR 329, the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Consolidation Act of 2015, would expand the 477 program, and was the subject of a House Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs hearing on April 14, 2015. On May 21, 2015, Senators Murkowski (R-AK) and Sullivan (R-AK) introduced very similar legislation, S 1443.
In preparation for the consultation, ACF has scheduled the following teleconferences:
• August 19 3-3:30 p.m. Eastern Time
• August 26 3-3:30 p.m. Eastern Time
• September 2 3-3:30 p.m. Eastern Time
The call-in number is: 866-769-9393. The passcode is: 4449449#.
Please let us know if we may provide additional information or assistance regarding the upcoming Administration for Children and Families tribal consultation.
1This consultation is a replacement for the one originally scheduled for May 21, 2015, which was cancelled.
