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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This resolution urges Congress to enact the Diné College Act of 2015.
11 Highlighted Provisions:
12 This resolution:
13 ▸ highlights the benefits Diné College provides to Utah citizens; and
14 ▸ urges Congress to enact the Diné College Act of 2015 introduced by Representative
15 Ann Kirkpatrick.
16 Special Clauses:
17 None
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19 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
20 WHEREAS, this state and the Navajo Nation maintain a government-to-government
21 relationship, and the Navajo people residing in this state are citizens of both Utah and the
22 Navajo Nation;
23 WHEREAS, in 1968, the Navajo Nation established Navajo Community College,
24 which later became Diné College, to provide the Navajo people access to higher education;
25 WHEREAS, Diné College is the oldest and largest tribal college in the country and has
26 six campus sites across the Navajo Nation;
27 WHEREAS, Diné College has added five bachelor's degree programs and is moving
28 toward offering graduate level courses;
29 WHEREAS, Diné College helps many Navajo students transition from high school to
30 university;
31 WHEREAS, Diné College is working toward establishing dual credit agreements with
32 Utah school districts;
33 WHEREAS, there are between 50 and 100 students from Utah enrolled at Diné
34 College;
35 WHEREAS, an estimated 100 to 150 Diné College students continue their university
36 education at one of Utah's institutions of higher education annually;
37 WHEREAS, the United States Congress passed the Navajo Community College Act of
38 2015, the Navajo Community College Assistance Act of 1978, and the Navajo Nation Higher
39 Education Act of 2008, which collectively provide for maintenance, operation, and
40 construction funding for Diné College;
41 WHEREAS, Representative Ann Kirkpatrick introduced the Diné College Act of 2015
42 "to fulfill the United States Government's trust responsibility to serve the higher education
43 needs of the Navajo people and to clarify, unify, and modernize prior Diné College legislation,"
44 and Diné College has requested that Senator Jeff Flake introduce a United States Senate
45 companion bill; and
46 WHEREAS, the passage of the Diné College Act of 2015 would benefit Navajo citizens
47 of Utah throughout the state:
48 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
49 Governor concurring therein, urges the Congress of the United States to enact the Diné College
50 Act of 2015.
51 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the President of
52 the United States, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United
53 States House of Representatives, and the members of Utah's congressional delegation.
Legislative Review Note
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel