Dear USET/USET SPF Family,
Today, the White House announced the signing of an updated interdepartmental Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to implement the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-477). Often referred to as the “477 Program”, the purpose of the law is to reduce unemployment in Tribal communities through workforce development and job training and reduce and streamline administrative requirements. The 477 Program requires an interdepartmental MOA to facilitate meetings between participating Tribal Nations and federal agencies, preparation of an annual review of achievements, and creation of a forum for resolving interagency conflicts between the federal government and Tribal Nations administering the statute.
The prior MOA, signed in 2018, was done without Tribal consultation and made it difficult for Tribal Nations to utilize the program and consolidate funding. Tribal Nations urged renegotiation of the MOA to address these issues and in 2021 the Biden-Harris Administration stated that it would renegotiate the 2018 MOA to support Tribal sovereignty. The new 2022 MOA seeks to streamline plan approval procedures and re-affirms the decision-making authority of the Secretary of the Interior in approving 477 Program plans. The goal of this action is to increase Tribal Nation economic resilience through employment and training programs and services based on our community priorities and initiatives.
For more information on the 2022 MOA, please view the Fact Sheet provided by the White House by clicking here. To learn how to participate in the 477 Program, please click here.
For more information, please contact Brian Howard, USET SPF Senior Policy Analyst, at bhoward@usetinc.org.
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