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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Begaye

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/29/07

HB 98

SHORT TITLE Research and Teaching of Navajo Language

SB

ANALYST Wilson

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$277.9

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

Indian Affairs Department (IAD)

Public Education Department (PED)

University of New Mexico (UNM)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 98 appropriates $277,886 from the general fund to the board of regents of the

University of New Mexico for a program of research and teaching of the Navajo language.

The UNM Department of Linguistics intends to use these funds to hire faculty and offer teaching

assistantships; teaching will serve young Navajos in order for the Navajo language to be

preserved.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $277,886 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2008 shall revert

to the general fund.

House Bill 98– Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

IAD and the Navajo Nation provided the following:

•

The Navajo Nation recognizes the importance of preserving and perpetuating that

language for the survival of the Navajo Nation. Instruction in the Navajo language shall

be made available for all grade levels in all schools serving the Navajo Nation. Navajo

language instruction shall include to the greatest extent practicable: thinking, speaking,

comprehension, reading and writing skills and the study of the formal grammar of the

language. This program has the potential to complement the Tribe’s efforts.

•

HB 98 seeks to preserve and strengthen Navajo culture through reinvigorating use of the

Navajo language. Language is an essential element of Navajo life, culture, and identity

and its use is in steep decline. While many elders continue to speak the language

fluently, younger Navajos are increasingly limited to speaking only English. According

to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of English-speaking only Navajos between the

ages of 5 and 17 has increased from 11.8% in 1980 to 48.7% in 2000. This sharp

increase imperils the preservation of the Navajo language and the tribe’s culture at large.

•

HB 98 seeks to address this negative trend by providing funding to the University of New

Mexico for a program of research and teaching. It received the endorsement of the 2006

Interim Indian Affairs Committee. Zuni Pueblo has also endorsed the bill, although

Tribal leaders emphasized their desire to see similar programs for all New Mexico Tribes.

This proposal was submitted to HED by UNM and was not included in the HED

recommendations for FY08.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The University of New Mexico currently provides instruction in the Navajo language in

Albuquerque and Gallup. Students at UNM Albuquerque may elect a concentration in native

languages in pursuit of Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Classes already

offered in Navajo language instruction include elementary, intermediate, and advanced Navajo

language, basic medical Navajo, written Navajo, creative writing and advanced reading, and

Navajo linguistics. However, some of these courses are not offered regularly. UNM also works

in cooperation with Diné College to ensure coursework transfer between the two institutions.

According to UNM’s Linguistics Department website, it “recognizes the important contribution

that Navajo language study at Diné can provide to the program as a whole at UNM.

In December, the federal government signaled the importance of this issue when President Bush

signed the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act into law. Named for a

late New Mexico native language teacher and advocate for the preservation of the Tewa

language, it creates a variety of new programs and appropriations for language preservation

programs. Among those lobbying for passage of the bill were several World War II era Navajo

Code-Talkers.

DW/mt