Empowering Native American Housing: A Critical Analysis of Senator John Hoeven's Bill - Free Essay

Each State in the United States elects two senators who represent the American citizens in the legislative sessions and ensure that citizens' opinions, suggestions, and ideas are heard. The senators are responsible for various roles, including representing the constituents, meaning they communicate with the citizens regarding specific issues, concerns, and ideas that they have for a particular district. They also inform the public through speeches and press conferences about current issues, and legislation. They also formulate and introduce legislation serve in committees to represent the constituents and are involved in federal planning processes. One of the important committees is the Senate budgeting committee, whose role is to publicly present and adopt the country’s finances and develop a solid fiscal vision. The committee also develops a contemporaneous resolution on the budget to act as a framework for congressional action on expenditure, revenue, taxation, and debt limits. For the purpose of this report, North Dakota Senator John Hoeven will be analyzed to illustrate the federal government's budgeting from the perspective of the Senate.

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Hoeven has sponsored several bills about federal spending, with the one receiving the most interest being the Native Americans Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2020 (GovTrack.us., 2020). The bill was introduced in June 2020 and seeks to reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 and other resolutions (GovTrack.us., 2020). The bill is still in the initial stages of the legislative procedure and will be considered by the committee before being transferred to the Senate's House. According to Skopos Labs, the bill has a 30 percent chance of being enacted (GovTrack.us., 2020).

By advancing this bill, Hoeven expects to increase affordable housing accessibility and greater control over the development of the targeted projects and allow for decision-making with the individuals who understand the tribal communities' requirements (GovTrack.us., 2020). According to Hoeven, the native communities require secure federal funding to develop safe housing and infrastructure (Www.Indian.Senate.Gov., 2020). Hoeven plans to do this by approving the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA) since it is the only funding source for the development and housing needs (Www.Indian.Senate.Gov., 2020). With the advent of COVID-19, the housing needs have been amplified, necessitating the tribes' need to be allowed a substantial form of financial certainty.

However, the bill has received some level of opposition. From the Native tribe's perspective, although they are supportive of NAHASDA, they have continually advocated for an adjustment to the program requirements. For instance, the Native Americans propose streamlining of particular state requirements, especially in cases where multiple sources of funding are used on a single housing project. They demand flexibility in designing the program requirements and for the Housing Urban Development (HUD) to respond to a request for regularization and waivers on NAHASDA requirements in a timely version. From the congress's perspective, there are several concerns surrounding the project. One of the most outstanding concerns is that the reauthorization of a housing program targeting Native Americans could be construed based on race.

The bill targets the Native Americans, comprising the Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians. Through the bill, Hoeven expects to improve the housing condition of the Natives, through, consolidating numerous environmental reviews that the housing project should undergo to initiate the construction. The legislation will also empower the Native Americans to develop their rental units' regulations, including the waivers about particular HUD renting requirements, and the associated lease termination process (Www.Indian.Senate.Gov., 2020). The senator also plans to strengthen the HUD offices' duties on the Indigenous American programs by developing a deputy secretary on Indian Housing at the Department (GovTrack.us., 2020). Simultaneously, Hoeven wants to authorize the Tribal Drug Elimination Program to issue grant funding to solve drug abuse, distribute in reserved housing, increase police resources, community gatherings, and housing counseling. The proposal will also authorize the Tribal HUD VASH strategy to issue the Native homeless veterans health and housing services (GovTrack.us., 2020).

The bill is excellent as it caters to a minority group, an aspect that can foster equity, thus aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals. Despite the increased need for equality between the minority and the majority, we are living in an era where everyone is sensitive to racism, and thus, a bill that targets a particular race may not resonate well with the population. The recommendation I would offer regarding this is for Hoeven to expand the bill to cover other minority groups and low-income families while focusing on the Native Americans. Though the bill has goodwill in giving the Natives the power to create regulations around their rental unit, it should align with the particular benchmark so the rules may not be used to promote discrimination. Again, the areas of concern from the tribe's perspective of NAHASDA should be sorted through public participation and foster a generic approach to the federal approval and financing regulations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Senate is an essential part of the United States government and its citizens. This is because it represents the citizens' opinions, addresses their issues, and participates in the crucial federal budgeting process through the budgeting committees. In a case analysis of North Dakota, Senator John Hoeven has proposed a bill regarding government spending, where they seek to improve the housing of the Native Americans. The registration has so far received about 30 percent support. Like any other legislation, the Hoeven bill has received opposition from the Native Americans demanding the change in federal approval processes and financing provisions of NAHASDA. The Senate has also expressed concern that the bill may be deemed to promote racism. When passed, the bill will cover a wide array of housing programs for the Natives, including the veterans. However, the bill can be improved by making it more race-inclusive and addressing the long federal approval process and financing requirements.

References

GovTrack.us. (2020). S. 4090 — 116th Congress: Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2020. Retrieved from https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/s4090

Www.Indian.Senate.Gov. (2020, June 25). Chairman Hoeven and Vice Chairman Udall Introduce Bipartisan Native American Housing Legislation | The United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Www.Indian.Senate.Gov. https://www.indian.senate.gov/news/press-release/chairman-hoeven-and-vice-chairman-udall-introduce-bipartisan-native-american-0‌