The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the Senate section on pages S5131 on July 15, 2015.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. BARRASSO (for himself and Mr. Crapo):
S. 1776. A bill to enhance tribal road safety, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about legislation I introduced that will improve safety on roads across Indian Country. Roads and bridges in Indian Country are in desperate need of improvement.
According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, only 17 percent of the roads are considered to be in acceptable condition. The remainder are considered to be in poor and unacceptable condition and many are simply unpaved. According to the National Congress of American Indians,
``These roads are among the most underdeveloped and unsafe road networks in the Nation, even though they are the primary means of access'' throughout these tribal communities. The Centers for Disease Control lists motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death for Native American children. Meanwhile, Indian infants, under the age of 1 year old, are eight times more likely to die in a vehicle-related crash than other children.
That is why I am introducing the Tribal Infrastructure and Roads Enhancement and Safety Act, or TIRES Act for short. The TIRES Act supports increasing the safety of roads throughout Indian Country by: streamlining the process to start and complete safety projects, increasing available funding for tribal road programs, and reinstating the tribal facility bridge program. This legislation will reduce the administrative fees that the Bureau of Indian Affairs charges tribes for road work and will speed up the time such projects take to get approved.
The TIRES Act also commissions two important road safety studies. In one study, the Department of Interior, in consultation with the Department of Transportation and other relevant Federal agencies, will examine the quality of transportation safety data collected. Such a study can benefit tribes by finding ways to prevent future car crashes and recover damages caused by motorists on roads on Indian reservations. The second study will examine and identify ways to improve safety on all public roads on Indian reservations.
The number of lives lost on roads in Indian Country is far too high. Something needs to be done and this bill is a good first step towards improving safety on the roads in tribal communities.
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