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Southeast Alaska: Senate Passes Tribal Employment and Training Legislation; Empowers Tribes and Tribal Organizations to Offer Innovative Workforce Development Initiatives Across Alaska - The Senate’s unanimous passage of H.R. 228, the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Consolidation Act of 2017, was a huge victory for Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) and other tribes across the nation. The new law was introduced by Congressman Don Young (R-AK) and passed in the House earlier this year and will not only improve, but make permanent the Native employment and training programs after more than 20 years operating as a demonstration project.

Commonly known as the "477 Program", it is unique in that it allows federally-recognized tribes and Alaska Native entities to combine formula-funded federal grant funds into a single plan with a single budget and a single reporting system. The legislation allows for implementation of plans for the purpose of economic development, job training, welfare-to-work and tribal work experience, higher education, skill development, facilitation of employment, assisting Indian youth and adults to succeed in the workforce, and encouraging self-sufficiency.

The legislation authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Interior to cooperate with the Attorney General, Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Transportation, and Secretary of Veterans Affairs on coordination of federally-funded employment, training, and related services programs.

Tlingit & Haida was the first tribe in the nation to enter into a Public Law (P.L.) 102-477 Compact with the United States and stated in a press release they have successfully administered the innovative workforce development demonstration program for over two decades.
 
“This historic passage occurred after eight years of tribal advocacy,” said President Richard Peterson. “There were many tribal leaders who worked hard to make this achievement a reality over the last several years including Tlingit & Haida’s former Chief Operating Officer Corrine Garza. I want to also recognize in particular the staff of Senator Murkowski, Senator Tester, Senator Udall and Congressman Young, and the law firm Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, LLP.”
 
Among other amendments made, the new law will provide the ability of tribes to integrate federal resources received for employment and training purposes under a single plan and budget. The original law previously applied to only three federal agencies (Department of Interior, Department of Labor, and Department of Health & Human Services) and will soon include the Justice Department and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Homeland Security, Housing & Urban Development, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs.
 
Other significant changes included in the new law authorizes tribes to recover 100% of indirect costs, expressly repealing caps on indirect costs that would otherwise apply to funds consolidated under a plan and clarifies the plan approval process and timelines, the roles of various federal agencies involved, the transfer of funds mechanism, and the reporting and audit requirements.

“The passage of this bill affirms the sovereignty and wisdom of tribes to serve their citizens in a way that ensures the highest likelihood of long-term success,” said 477 Division Director William Martin. “The passage makes permanent a system that has proven to be very effective in guiding our low income individuals and families to independence and self-sufficiency. The goal of Tlingit & Haida’s 477 Division is to create a single, coordinated system of collaborative services by pooling funding sources together to provide employment, training and other supportive services for the maximum benefit to our tribal citizens. The 477 program is one of the best tools we have available to our tribal citizens. The passage of this bill allows us to negotiate grants and contracts across all departments, efficiently consolidate them into a single plan, program and budget, and invest more program dollars directly into support services.”

“The 477 Program has proven to be an innovative and effective tool in providing education and training opportunities aimed to improve the quality of life in every region of Alaska. I am proud the Senate has recognized the importance of this program to support self-sufficiency, create jobs, and expand employment opportunities for American Indians and Alaska Natives nationwide,” Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said. “I am so pleased Congress has once again recognized the importance of this program and I look forward to it being signed by the President. I am also thrilled that this will be the first Native American bill passed this Congress.” - More...
Thursday PM - December 07, 2017

Ketchikan: Overnight Warming Center Receives Funding Assistance from Ketchikan Medical Center- Every night about sixteen people sleep in a warm, safe, dry place instead of on the street. So far, over sixty people in our community have found shelter in the Overnight Warming Center (OWC) since it opened October 1st of this year.

The Overnight Warming Center located at the First United Methodist Church in Ketchikan provides shelter to some of the most vulnerable in our community. Before it opened many would sleep outside in the elements on the sidewalks, benches or in buildings open 24 hours a day such as the PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center's Emergency Department (ED).

The Overnight Warming Center's startup was funded by an $80,000 grant from the City of Ketchikan with the expectation that other organizations would step up.

And this week PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center announced they will step up to help and will pay $27,000 for rent and utilities for the Overnight Warming Center (OWC) for the next three years and $1000 for rent and $500 for utilities per month for the six months of the OWC's wintertime operation.

“It’s the right thing to do,” said Chief Administrative Officer Ed Freysinger, “it provides a safety net for our most vulnerable population and fits into our mission by treating each person in a loving and caring way.”

The Overnight Warming Center provides an additional component to the day shelter provided by First City Homeless Services (FCHS) in that location. Evelyn Erbele is a pastor at the church, she also chairs FCHS, “the Overnight Warming Center is an extension of the missions of First City Homeless Services and Peace Health to relieve pain and suffering and treat each person in a loving and caring way.

“People who would otherwise be on the streets or going to the ED [Emergency Department] at night because it is warm now have a safe place to go. The OWC is a partnership of caring between PeaceHealth, FCHS, and the City of Ketchikan. We at FCHS are grateful for the trust that the City and PeaceHealth have vested in us.” - More...
Thursday PM - December 07, 2017

Southeast Alaska: Coast Guard suspends search for 2 missing near Juneau - The Coast Guard suspended the search Wednesday evening for the two men missing after their 10-foot skiff capsized in the Gastineau Channel near Juneau on Tuesday. The missing men were identified as 50-year-old James Cole and 48-year-old Sheridan “Scott” Stringer. Five people were aboard the vessel when it capsized.

Coast Guard Air Station Sitka helicopter crews, Coast Guard Cutter John McCormick smallboat crews, Coast Guard Station Juneau smallboat crews and multiple local agencies searched 58 square miles in the Gastineau Channel for more than 20 hours to locate the two men. 

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the two men during this challenging time,” said Capt. Phil Thorne, Sector Juneau commander. “It’s a very difficult decision to suspend a search and we always make these decisions with care and consideration.” - More...
Thursdsay PM - December 07, 2017

Southeast Alaska: Lawsuit filed against BLM to protect the Chilkat - SEACC Staff Scientist Guy Archibald, announced Monday that the Juneau-based Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC), along with an Alaska Native Tribal Government and two other conservation groups, filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The suit challenges BLM’s failure to consider the cumulative impact of future mine development at Constantine Metals’ Palmer Project when reviewing exploration applications. The Palmer Project encompasses ongoing exploration activities in the Chilkat Watershed, directly upstream of Haines and Klukwan, Alaska.

The Chilkat River, “Jilkaat Heeni” in the Tlingit language, meaning “salmon storehouse”, runs from its headwaters in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, into the sea near Haines. All five species of Pacific salmon, along with anadromous eulachon and trout, thrive in these rivers and have provided the Chilkat Tlingit people with sustenance for thousands of years. The river remains a cultural and economic mainstay for the region today wrote Archibald in an email to SitNews.

Archibald wrote, "This is a uniquely beautiful region with steep, rocky mountains towering over the wild Chilkat River. It abounds in wildlife including moose, black and brown bears, and bald eagles. The unique geology of the river means that it stays ice-free longer than other water bodies. Thousands of bald eagles descend on the valley each year to feast on the exposed salmon, an event not seen anywhere else in the world."

"Constantine Metals, a Canadian company, is exploring for copper, zinc, gold, and silver in the mountains above the river. Should they find sufficient reserves of these elements, the next step would be to plan for full-scale mine development. Located in a massive sulfide ore body, the mine would be acid-generating, threatening the downstream communities and wildlife that rely on the clean water, food, livelihoods, cultural traditions, and habitat provided by the Chilkat River," wrote Archibald.

The BLM is responsible for the oversight of the project but has failed in that role wrote Archibald. Under the United States’ bedrock environmental laws, the BLM must consider the cumulative impacts of its incremental decision making in advancing this mining project wrote Archibald. Quoting the email, "Despite this requirement, they have already issued two decisions permitting exploration of the area without considering the connected and cumulative impacts from future mine development and its potentially disastrous consequences on the watershed. Exploration is the first step in developing a new mine." - More...
Thursday PM - December 07, 2017

Alaska: Report identifies ways to rejuvenate Alaska’s commercial fishing fleet By PAULA DOBBYN - A new report on Alaska’s aging fishing fleet and loss of access to commercial fisheries in rural communities recommends five steps to reverse these troubling trends.

The report, called “Turning the Tide,” is based on a global review of access to commercial fisheries. It is the work of a research team at the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Alaska Sea Grant and Alaska Marine Conservation Council.

The report details the ongoing loss of fishing permits and quota from Alaska’s coastal communities and the rising age of quota and permit holders. It notes that Alaska’s rural fishing communities have shed nearly 2,500 locally held commercial fishing permits since 1975 when Alaska began limiting entry. That’s a loss of over 30 percent of permits originally held by local residents.

Prior to limited entry, anyone could fish commercially by getting a gear license and paying a nominal fee to the state. With limited entry, people who want to start fishing must purchase rights, or be gifted or inherit them, from private individuals.

Of the permits remaining in rural Alaska today, an increasingly older population holds them, a trend known as the “graying of the fleet.” In 1975, fishermen age 40 and under held about half of all rural local permits. By 2016, that figure had nearly been cut in half. The typical fisherman working today is over 50 years old, a decade older than a generation ago.

Both trends threaten the viability of commercial fishing as an economic and cultural mainstay in Alaska, the study concludes.

The report lists the following recommendations: - More...
Thursday PM - December 07, 2017

BLAIR BESS: Pearl Harbor Deserves More Than Just a Day - With every passing year, Pearl Harbor Day leaves us with a stark reminder that the number of WWII veterans is dwindling rapidly. The epic struggle against forces of undisputed evil, fought by the fathers and grandfathers, mothers and grandmothers of so many of us, may soon be relegated to the annals of American history, yet no military conflict since the Civil War has had a more dramatic impact on who we are as a nation.

In the wake of the Great Depression, and in the years leading up to December 7th, 1941, cauldrons were bubbling throughout the world, ready to spill over with the least provocation. Globally today, we find common denominators.

Vladimir Putin is the 21st Century's answer to Josef Stalin. In Asia, a handful of countries are attempting to solidify their economic and military dominance over the Pacific Rim. Europe is reckoning with nationalist fervor, fascism, and neo-Nazism. And at a time when the world appears to need us most, America is stepping back from the preeminent position it has held since 1945.

In this century, seeds of oppression are being sown. An ideological schism is widening here at home. Separateness, anger, isolation, and - for some - belief in racial and ethnic supremacy, is a constant in the lives of the morally depleted and socially disenfranchised.

None of this is new to the American Experience. Social unrest, economic hardship, and the threat of foreign influence posed a threat prior to WWII. Racial inequality and injustice were prevalent throughout the U.S. The KKK was resurgent and a homegrown Nazi movement emerged in the guise of the German-American Bund.

Then came Pearl Harbor. Suddenly, Americans started behaving like Americans, one nation united - for many of us, under God. Indivisible. A country where liberty and justice for all meant something. It would be misleading to suggest that everything in the homeland was sunshine and happiness. It wasn't. Anti-Semitism and Racism continued to be a blight on the American landscape, poverty and economic malaise were still a plague among us.  - More...
Thursday PM - December 07, 2017

Dear Changed:  If you work in your second career long enough to earn a pension, "WEP" will, indeed, affect your future Social Security benefit.  WEP, the Windfall Elimination Provision, applies to those who are entitled to a "non-covered" pension from an employer who did not withhold FICA Social Security taxes from their earnings, and who is also entitled to Social Security benefits from other employment which did.  Since the Social Security benefit calculation is weighted to replace more income for lower-earning workers, dual-benefit recipients were getting proportionately higher income replacement than truly low-income workers, causing Congress to enact WEP in 1983. - More....
Thursday PM - December 07, 2017