Bipartisan legislation recently introduced by U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) would protect tuition-free education for Native American students by modernizing existing federal-state agreements.
The Native American Indian Education Act calls for preserving tuition-free higher education for Native American students by revising the tuition waiver program in response to current educational costs.
The bill would address the trend of students attending out-of-state colleges by directing the Department of Education to cover those costs. Currently, the state that houses the college has to foot the entire bill.
“Colorado’s Fort Lewis College and higher education institutions across the country provide world-class educations to both Native and non-Native students,” Gardner said. “States facing difficult fiscal environments, however, are struggling to foot the tuition bill for out-of-state Native American Indian students to whom the federal government promised tuition-free higher education nearly a century ago.”
When one tuition agreement was reached at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, in 1910, a few dozen students were covered. Today, more than 1,123 American Indian and Alaska native students from more than 162 tribes across the country attend the college.
“The Native American Indian Education Act ensures that the federal government continues to live up to its commitment and extends much-needed budgetary relief to states like Colorado,” Gardner said.
Gardner and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Senate version of the bill. U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO) introduced a House version.
“Education is a fundamental promise to all Americans,” Bennet said. “In our changing economy, we must ensure everyone has access to higher education. This program is crucial for Native American students who otherwise may not be able to afford college.”