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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2002

PDF: DOI Fiscal Year 2003 Budget Breakdown

Secretary of Interior Gale Norton will testify on her fiscal year 2003 budget before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee tomorrow.

President Bush has requested $10.3 billion for the department, a virtually unchanged figure from this year's budget. The figure does not include a legislative proposal to shift all costs of a pension and health benefits program to the agencies.

Of the amount, about a quarter of the money is directed to the National Park Service and another quarter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The request for the BIA is $2.2 billion, not including the pension shift, representing an increase of about $23 million.

Committee chairman Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) said in a statement last week he was pleased with an $84 million increase in funds for trust management and reform. The money would be directed to the BIA and the Office of the Special Trustee (OST).

Bingaman also said he welcomed the $292.7 million for BIA school construction and repair but said it was not enough. "BIA-funded schools are in terrible shape, with several in worse condition than many inner city schools," he said.

The hearing will start at 9:30 a.m. The committee website features a video feed. An audio feed is available at CapitolHearings.Org.

Also appearing before the committee will be Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth.

Later this month, on February 27, Norton will testify before the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee on the budget. The day before is a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on trust fund management and reform.

The Indian panel itself is holding hearings on the budget's Indian programs in March.

Listen to the Hearing:
Audio | Video

Get Budget Documents:
Interior Budget in Brief [DOI] | Budget Highlights: Service to American Indians [DOI] | Budget Highlights: Bureau of Indian Affairs [DOI] | Interior Overview [OMB] | Interior Details [OMB]

Relevant Links:
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee - http://energy.senate.gov

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Norton sketches trust reform budget (2/1)