John Williams: “I rise in support of the en bloc amendment offered by Mr. Kildee, and to express my appreciation to him for including in…”

“I rise in support of the en bloc amendment offered by Mr. Kildee, and to express my appreciation to him for including in that amendment a provision offered by Mr. Goodling and myself dealing with Indian schools. The provision that my colleague Mr. Goodling and I drafted has one basic aim--to make the schools for Indian children funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs eligible to apply for competitive grants under this act in the same way that local educational agencies apply. The provision would apply to all types of schools funded by the BIA, whether they be operated directly by the BIA or by the tribes themselves under grants or contracts from the BIA. I believe it is essential that we assure that all schools in the BIA system are equally eligible to apply for competitive grant programs under this act. For too long, the BIA system schools have fallen through the tracks of many Federal grant programs because they are not considered to be local educational agencies, the basic eligibility requirement for nearly all Federal education program funding. The provision added to the en bloc amendment today is a step toward correcting this oversight. It is my intention that all schools in the BIA system have the opportunity to apply for competitive grants just like their counterparts in the public school systems can do. Our provision allows consortia of schools in the BIA system to submit applications for competitive grants.”