IAD News:
SANTA FE — Indian Affairs Department (IAD) Secretary Lynn Trujillo will present the department’s FY23 budget to the House Appropriations and Finance Committee (HAFC), 1 p.m. today, Jan. 12.
This year’s Executive recommendation increases the IAD budget by 63.3 percent for FY23, allowing the department to continue to build upon the progress the administration has made in New Mexico tribal communities.
“The Indian Affairs Department continues to work collaboratively with our state and tribal partners to develop resources and provide support to our tribal communities and people. I remain hopeful that the New Mexico Legislature will agree with Gov. Lujan Grisham’s FY23 Executive budget recommendation and increase IAD’s budget for FY23,” Secretary Lynn Trujillo said.
IAD’s accomplishments over the past year include:
- Administering historic investments in tribal communities through TIF and Capital Outlay.
- Leading the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR) task force in developing a state response plan.
- Establishing the Indigenous Youth Council to improve young peoples’ holistic wellness and elevate the Native American youth perspective.
- Establishing the Tribal Water Working Group, which is leading tribal input into the 50 Year Water Plan.
- Supporting tribes in vaccine distribution and ongoing requests to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
- Developed a draft consultation guidebook and toolkit and updated cultural competency trainings for state employees.
- Partnering with UNM to provide suicide prevention and wellness seminars to provide behavioral health supports to tribal communities.
The Executive budget recommendation of $4.7 million would increase IAD’s operating budget, allowing the department to build programs in the following critical areas:
- State-Tribal Relations: Strengthening state and tribal partnerships, providing training and resources.
- Public Safety and Justice: Investing in the MMIWR taskforce and increasing capacity to address the epidemic of missing persons in our state.
- Suicide Prevention: Creating a position and program to assist tribal communities in preventing suicide in their communities.
- Promote Healthy Communities: Making investments to foster healthy native communities by developing tribal-specific responses and solutions.
- Investments in Tribal Infrastructure: Building internal capacity to meet the needs of tribal communities in expending unprecedented investments in tribal infrastructure.
- Protecting Sacred Sites: Supporting stronger protections for land, air, and water.
