I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6568 

To fulfill the United States Government’s trust responsibility to serve the 

higher education needs of the Navajo people and to clarify, unify, and 

modernize prior Dine ́ College legislation. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 2, 2022 

Mr. O’HALLERAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To fulfill the United States Government’s trust responsibility 

to serve the higher education needs of the Navajo people 

and to clarify, unify, and modernize prior Dine ́ College 

legislation. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Dine ́ College Act of 

5 2022’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds as follows: 


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1 (1) The Treaty of 1868 between the United 

2 States of America and the Navajo Tribe of Indians 

3 provides for the education of the citizens of the Nav4 ajo Nation. 

5 (2) The Navajo Nation created and chartered 

6 the Navajo Community College by Resolution CN– 

7 95–68 as a wholly owned educational entity of the 

8 Navajo Nation. 

9 (3) In 1971, Congress enacted the Navajo Com10 munity College Act (Public Law 92–189; 25 U.S.C. 

11 640a et seq.). 

12 (4) The Navajo Nation officially changed the 

13 name of the Navajo Community College to the Dine ́

14 College by Resolution CAP–35–97. 

15 (5) The purpose of the Dine ́ College is to pro16 vide educational opportunities to the Navajo people 

17 and others in areas important to the economic and 

18 social development of the Navajo Nation. 

19 (6) The educational philosophy of the Dine ́ Col20 lege is to apply principles of Sa’ah Naagha ́ ́ı Bik’eh 

21 Ho ́zho ́ ́on (Dine ́ Philosophy) to advance quality stu22 dent learning through training of the mind and 

23 heart. 


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1 (7) The United States has a trust and treaty 

2 responsibility to the Navajo Nation to provide for 

3 the educational opportunities for Navajo people. 

4 (8) Significant portions of the Dine ́ College’s 

5 infrastructure are dilapidated and pose a serious 

6 health and safety risk to students, employees, and 

7 the public. 

8 (9) This Act is consistent with Executive Order 

9 13592 (76 Fed. Reg. 76603, relating to improving 

10 American Indian and Alaska Native educational op11 portunities and strengthening tribal colleges and 

12 universities) and fulfills the United States Govern13 ment’s trust responsibility to serve the educational 

14 needs of the Navajo people. 

15 SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 

16 The purpose of this Act is to ensure that the Navajo 

17 Nation and Navajo people— 

18 (1) exercise their right to self-determination, 

19 particularly in matters relating to their internal and 

20 local affairs; 

21 (2) maintain and strengthen their distinct insti22 tutions of higher education through the teaching of 

23 the Navajo language, culture, traditions, and his24 tory; and 


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1 (3) improve their economic and social condi2 tions through higher education and postsecondary 

3 vocational training. 

4 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON7 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con8 gress’’ means— 

9 (A) the Committee on Indian Affairs and 

10 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; 

11 and 

12 (B) the Committee on Natural Resources, 

13 the Committee on Education and Labor, and 

14 the Committee on Appropriations of the House 

15 of Representatives. 

16 (2) COLLEGE.—The term ‘‘College’’ means the 

17 Dine ́ College. 

18 (3) OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE.—The term 

19 ‘‘operation and maintenance’’ means all costs and 

20 expenses associated with the customary daily oper21 ation of the Dine ́ College and necessary maintenance 

22 costs. 

23 (4) INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term ‘‘infrastruc24 ture’’ means the Dine ́ College buildings, water and 

25 sewer facilities, roads, foundation, information techVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:07 Feb 05, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6568.IH H6568

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1 nology, and telecommunications, including class2 rooms and external matters such as walkways. 

3 (5) RENOVATIONS AND REPAIRS.—The term 

4 ‘‘renovations and repairs’’ means modernization and 

5 improvements to the infrastructure. 

6 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

7 the Secretary of the Interior. 

8 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF THE DINE ́ COLLEGE. 

9 Congress authorizes the Dine ́ College to receive all 

10 Federal funding and resources under this Act and other 

11 laws for its operation, improvement, and growth, includ12 ing— 

13 (1) to provide programs of higher education for 

14 citizens of the Navajo Nation and others; 

15 (2) to provide vocational and technical edu16 cation for citizens of the Navajo Nation and others; 

17 (3) to preserve and protect the Navajo lan18 guage, philosophy, and culture for citizens of the 

19 Navajo Nation and others; 

20 (4) to provide Navajo communities and people 

21 with employment and training opportunities; 

22 (5) to provide economic development and com23 munity outreach for Navajo communities and people; 

24 and 


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1 (6) to provide a safe learning, working, and liv2 ing environment for students, employees, and the 

3 public. 

4 SEC. 6. CAPITAL PROJECTS AND FACILITY NEEDS. 

5 From amounts made available under section 8(c), the 

6 Dine ́ College may undertake any renovations and repairs 

7 to the infrastructure of the College that are identified in 

8 the report under section 9. 

9 SEC. 7. STATUS OF FUNDS. 

10 Funds provided under this Act to the Dine ́ College 

11 may be treated as non-Federal, private funds of the Col12 lege for purposes of any provision of Federal law which 

13 requires that non-Federal or private funds of the College 

14 be used in a project for a specific purpose. 

15 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are hereby authorized to be 

17 appropriated to the Dine ́ College, for each fiscal year, such 

18 sums as may be necessary to pay for the operation and 

19 maintenance of the College. 

20 (b) BUDGET PLACEMENT.—The Secretary shall fund 

21 the operation and maintenance of the Dine ́ College sepa22 rately from tribal colleges and universities recognized and 

23 funded by the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Univer24 sities Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.). 


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1 (c) FACILITIES AND CAPITAL PROJECTS.—In addi2 tion to amounts appropriated under subsection (a), there 

3 are authorized to be appropriated $7,500,000, for each fis4 cal year, to carry out section 6. 

5 SEC. 9. REPORT; INVENTORY; FINAL FORMULA; ADMINIS6 TRATIVE EXPENSES. 

7 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

8 of enactment of this Act— 

9 (1) the Director of the Bureau of Indian Af10 fairs, acting through the Regional Director of the 

11 Navajo Regional Office shall locate and provide to 

12 the Secretary a copy of the report, dated February 

13 2019, on the detailed survey and deferred mainte14 nance study of all capital projects and facility needs 

15 of the Dine ́ College that was authorized under sec16 tion 4 of the Navajo Community College Act (25 

17 U.S.C. 640c), as amended by Navajo Community 

18 College Assistance Act of 1978 (Public Law 95–471; 

19 25 U.S.C. 640a note), and contracted for by the Bu20 reau of Indian Affairs Navajo Regional Office; and 

21 (2) the Secretary shall— 

22 (A) provide to the appropriate committees 

23 of Congress the report described in paragraph 

24 (1) and an addendum to such report that in25 cludes recommendations by the Secretary, and 


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1 any recommendations or views submitted by the 

2 College and the Navajo Nation regarding the 

3 capital projects and facility needs of the Col4 lege; or 

5 (B) in the case that the report described in 

6 paragraph (1) is not provided to the Secretary 

7 as required by this subsection— 

8 (i) provide to the appropriate commit9 tees of Congress recommendations of the 

10 Secretary, and any recommendations or 

11 views submitted by the College and the 

12 Navajo Nation regarding the capital 

13 projects and facility needs of the College; 

14 and 

15 (ii) take such steps as may be nec16 essary to ensure that such report is located 

17 and provided to the Secretary. 

18 (b) INVENTORY.—Not later than January 31, 2022, 

19 an inventory prepared by the Dine ́ College identifying re20 pairs, alterations, and renovations to facilities required to 

21 meet health and safety standards and other factors shall 

22 be submitted to the Secretary. The inventory shall address 

23 the facility needs and outstanding capital projects, includ24 ing any backlog of such needs and projects, from 1978 

25 through the date of such inventory. The Secretary shall 


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1 use the inventory as baseline data to inform the report 

2 required under subsection (a). 

3 (c) FINAL FORMULA.—Not later than October 30, 

4 2022, a final formula for ongoing operations and mainte5 nance of the Dine ́ College shall be— 

6 (1) determined by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

7 utilizing input from and consultation with the Nav8 ajo Nation and the College, the report and adden9 dum provided under subsection (a), and the inven10 tory required under subsection (b); and 

11 (2) provided to the appropriate committees of 

12 Congress, the College, and the Navajo Nation. 

13 (d) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Funds to carry 

14 out this section may be drawn from general administrative 

15 appropriations to the Secretary. 

16 SEC. 10. SUPERSESSION OF NAVAJO COMMUNITY COLLEGE 

17 ACT. 

18 This Act supersedes— 

19 (1) the Navajo Community College Act (Public 

20 Law 92–189; 25 U.S.C. 640a et seq.); 

21 (2) the Navajo Community College Assistance 

22 Act of 1978 (Public Law 95–471, 92 Stat. 1325, 

23 1329); and 

24 (3) the Navajo Nation Higher Education Act of 

25 2010 (Public Law 110–315, 122 Stat. 3468). 


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1 SEC. 11. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY FOR OTHER FEDERAL 

2 FUNDS. 

3 Except as explicitly provided for in other Federal law, 

4 nothing in this Act shall preclude the eligibility of the Dine ́

5 College to receive Federal funding and resources under 

6 any program authorized under the Higher Education Act 

7 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), the Equity in Edu8 cational Land Grant Status Act (title V, part C, of Public 

9 Law 103–382; 7 U.S.C. 301 note), or any other applicable 

10 program for the benefit of institutions of higher education, 

11 community colleges, or postsecondary educational institu12 tions. 

Æ 


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