- The Vice President of the Navajo Nation says native people need to be considered in discussions about transferring federal lands to the states.
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced $2.6 million in grant allocations to Colorado's two Native American tribes for affordable housing.
The vice president of the Navajo Nation says native people need to be considered in discussions about transferring federal public lands to the states. Speaking recently at the Utah State Capitol on American Indian Caucus Day, Jonathan Nez said, “As indigenous people, we advocate that if there are lands that are being reverted back to anyone, they should go to Indian tribes first.” According to a statement, Nez also addressed an ongoing conflict between the Navajo Nation and the San Juan County School District over voting-district boundaries for school-board members. In December, a U.S. District judge found that the current boundaries, which have been in place since 1992, are so unequal in population that they violate the concept of one person, one vote. The county has drawn up a redistricting plan, but Nez said it would unjustly pack Native Americans into two of the five proposed districts and there should be three districts from which they can elect candidates of their choice.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced $2.6 million in grant allocations to Colorado’s two Native American tribes. Indian Housing Block Grant allocations are distributed each year to eligible tribes for affordable-housing activities. The Ute Mountain Utes will receive $1.35 million and the Southern Utes $1.24 million.
