Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 5355, the National Advisory Council on Indian Education Improvement, or NACIE, Act. NACIE is the Department of Education's Tribal advisory group, composed of 15 members who are appointed by the President. NACIE advises the Secretaries of both the Education Department and the Department of the Interior on programs serving Tribes and members. Currently, there is no requirement that a Tribal college or university, TCU, president sit on the board. As a result, the Education Department's Tribal consultation sessions often do not provide the opportunity for TCU leaders, who are the prominent leaders in Tribal post-secondary education, to provide direct input. S. 5355 requires at least one of NACIE's members be the president of a TCU. In doing so, the legislation would give TCUs a seat at the table when discussing Tribal education. Simply put, this bipartisan legislation ensures TCUs have a voice in decisions that directly impact Native-American students. Strengthening our Nation's post-secondary education system means supporting all types of colleges and universities. Today, we can take an important step to strengthen TCUs, which play an important role in serving students and expanding the opportunities for skills and a post- secondary education in communities across America. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.”