Bennett Introduces Bill to Aid in Safely Transporting Children on Reservations to School
Press Release
Bennett Introduces Bill to Aid in Safely Transporting Children on Reservations to School
Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) today introduced the Indian School Bus Route Safety Reauthorization Act of 2009, a bill that will provide $2 million a year for the next five years to maintain school bus routes on the Navajo Indian reservation, allowing children who live on the reservation in San Juan County to commute safely to school on roads that were once impassable.
"This important program has and will continue to make a tremendous difference in the lives of school children on the Navajo Reservation," said Bennett. "It means a safer trip to school on roads that are otherwise in complete disrepair and impossible to navigate. It means buses can travel more safely and children can get to class."
This federal program began more than 10 years ago to address a critical problem with the roads in and around the Navajo Indian reservation. The funds to keep the road maintenance project going must be reauthorized every six years. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, about 9,700 miles of public roads serve the Navajo nation. Only about one-third of those roads are paved; the remaining 6,500 miles are dirt roads. Because of the vast size of the reservation, the cost of maintaining reservation roads used by the school buses is more than the counties can afford without federal assistance. The $2 million will be split evenly among Utah, Colorado and Arizona.
The reservation in San Juan County houses three high schools, two elementary schools, two BIA boarding schools and four pre-schools.
In San Juan County, the Navajo Nation comprises 40 percent of the land area. The county maintains more than 600 miles of roads on the reservation, of which more than 500 miles are dirt or gravel, creating treacherous conditions when muddy, snowy or wet. If buses can't maneuver the roads, the children simply do not attend school.
Bennett is co-sponsoring the bill, along with Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.).
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