0001|                    SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8
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0002|     42ND LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SPECIAL
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0003|     SESSION, 1996
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0004|                         INTRODUCED BY
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0005|                           JOHN PINTO
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0006|     
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0007|                                
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0008|     
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0009|     
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0010|     
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0011|                        A JOINT MEMORIAL
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0012|     OPPOSING ANY TRANSFER OF THE FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF
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0013|     THE BRANCH OF SYSTEMS OF THE BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS FROM
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0014|     ALBUQUERQUE TO THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY IN DENVER,
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0015|     COLORADO.
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0016|     
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0017|       WHEREAS, pursuant to the treaty of 1868 between the United
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0018|     States and the Navajo nation, the United States congress in its
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0019|     appropriations of funds is required to allocate adequate funds
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0020|     to provide services in education, health, resources and social
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0021|     services to the Navajo people; and 
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0022|       WHEREAS, the United States congress and the United States
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0023|     department of the interior are required, pursuant to federal
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0024|     law, to have adequate consultation with Indian tribes before
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0025|     modifying, amending or transforming any appropriations for
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0001|     Indian programs; and 
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0002|       WHEREAS, the United States government has broken and
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0003|     continuously failed to fulfill its obligations as set forth in
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0004|     treaties between Indian tribes and the United States government, 
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0005|     a clear indication the federal government wants to eliminate
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0006|     Indian programs; and 
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0007|       WHEREAS, the officials of the department of the interior's
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0008|     bureau of Indian affairs recently informed the employees of the
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0009|     Albuquerque area office of the branch of systems of the bureau
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0010|     of Indian affairs that plans are being developed to transfer the
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0011|     functions and responsibilities of the branch of systems in
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0012|     Albuquerque to the bureau of mines in Denver; and 
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0013|       WHEREAS, the bureau of Indian affairs' Albuquerque office
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0014|     supports the bureau of Indian affairs' version of the federal
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0015|     finance system, which is an automated accounting system that
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0016|     provides services to southwestern Indian tribes, including the
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0017|     Navajo nation, by maintaining custom software, including the
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0018|     interface and ancillary systems to provide internal management
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0019|     reports, and executing jobs for nightly, weekly and annual
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0020|     closings; and 
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0021|       WHEREAS, the transfer of the functions and responsibilities
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0022|     of the branch of systems to any federal government agency other
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0023|     than the bureau of Indian affairs by the department of the
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0024|     interior directly contradicts and fails to recognize the
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0025|     recommendations formulated by the joint tribal/bureau of Indian
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0001|     affairs/department of the interior task force on bureau of
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0002|     Indian affairs reorganization including, but not limited to, the
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0003|     employment of Indian individuals.  The unjust attempt to
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0004|     transfer the functions and responsibilities of the bureau of
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0005|     Indian affairs through any interagency agreement or order by the
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0006|     secretary of the interior to the United States geological survey
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0007|     is saving jobs for non-Indians in Denver at the expense of
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0008|     Indian employees in Albuquerque; 
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0009|       NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
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0010|     STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it oppose any transfer of the functions
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0011|     and responsibilities of the branch of systems of the bureau of
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0012|     Indian affairs from Albuquerque to the United States geological
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0013|     survey in Denver; and 
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0014|       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States government be
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0015|     requested to immediately stop the transfer of any bureau of
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0016|     Indian affairs' functions, responsibilities and resources to
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0017|     other federal agencies and request that the Indian tribes
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0018|     affected by such transfer be contacted and present their input
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0019|     and recommendations in a timely manner prior to initiating any
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0020|     additional transfer of bureau of Indian affairs' functions,
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0021|     responsibilities and resources that directly impact Indian
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0022|     tribes; and
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0023|       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
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0024|     transmitted to the United States congress, the president of the
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0025|     United States and the secretary of the interior.
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0001|                               
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