WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today introduced a measure to renew a program that aims to improve the safety of roads that serve the Navajo Nation that are used as school bus routes. Senator Tom Udall is a cosponsor of the bill.
The condition of roads on the Navajo Nation has long been a problem. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), of the 9,700 miles of public roads that serve the Navajo Nation, only about one-third are paved. The remaining 6,500 miles are dirt roads. Nearly all of these roads are used to transport Navajo children to and from school.
Bingaman's "Indian School Bus Route Safety Reauthorization Act of 2011" would reauthorize the Indian School Bus Route program and provide $12 million to counties over six years. That funding would continue to be split equally among the three states covered by portions of the Navajo Nation. New Mexico would receive $4 million over the six years to be shared between McKinley and San Juan Counties. From 1998-2011 these counties shared about $7 million through the program, which has been extended through 2011.
"I have seen the unpaved bus routes some Navajo children ride to school on each day. This funding makes those roads much safer, giving the children a more comfortable ride to school," Bingaman said.
"The safety of our children is paramount, especially when potential accidents are preventable," said Udall, a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. "This bill will help Native children reach their classrooms and return home safely by paving key roads on the Navajo Nation."
Counties are required to use the funding for improvement and maintenance of roads located within--or that lead to--the reservation, that are on a state or county maintenance system, and that serve as school bus routes.
