{"id":241114,"date":"2025-09-29T10:13:37","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:13:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=241114"},"modified":"2025-09-29T10:13:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:13:39","slug":"nafoa-5-things-you-need-to-know-this-week-september-29-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/09\/29\/nafoa-5-things-you-need-to-know-this-week-september-29-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know this Week (September 29, 2025)"},"content":{"rendered":" \"NAFOA\"<\/a>
#NAFOAFall25 is a wrap! Big thanks to everyone who joined us this week\u2014and to our furry VIPs, Chachi and Max from Mtn Peaks Therapy Llamas & Alpacas, for bringing extra smiles to Portland, Oregon. Photo courtesy NAFOA<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
5 Things You Need to Know this Week<\/div>\r\n
Thank you for a llamazing and successful #NAFOAFall25! \ud83e\udd99<\/div>\r\n
Monday, September 29, 2025<\/div>\r\n
Source: NAFOA<\/div>\r\n
nafoa.org<\/a><\/div>\r\n

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1. NAFOA NEWS:<\/em><\/div>\r\n
NAFOA Honors 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients at Fall Conference<\/div>\r\nThe NAFOA Lifetime Achievement Awards represent the highest honor bestowed by the organization. The NAFOA Board of Directors recognizes Native American leaders who have dedicated their careers to strengthening their communities and advancing Indian Country. This year, the honorees are Bernadine Burnette, former president of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, and Sam McCracken (Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes), founder of Nike N7. \r\n

<\/P>\r\nContinue Reading<\/a>\r\n\r\n

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2. POLICY:<\/em><\/div>\r\n
Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act, Section Summaries <\/div>\r\nExecutive Summary<\/strong>
\r\nThe Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act represents comprehensive federal legislation designed to eliminate longstanding tax code disparities that have placed Tribal governments at a significant disadvantage compared to state and local governments. The Act addresses critical gaps across multiple areas of federal tax policy, aiming to create true parity for Tribal communities in accessing essential financing tools and benefits. \r\n

<\/P>\r\nCurrent Disparities and Their Impact<\/strong>
\r\nUnder existing federal tax law, Tribal governments face unique statutory restrictions that severely limit their ability to finance infrastructure and economic development projects.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThese disparities manifest in stark statistics: from 1987 to 2010, only 17% of federally recognized Tribes issued tax-exempt bonds, with Tribal participation rarely exceeding one-fifth of 1% of the overall tax-exempt bond market. State and local governments averaged $597 per capita in annual tax-exempt bond issuances compared to only $127 per Tribal citizen. From 2014 to 2020, state governments issued an average of $47 billion annually in tax-exempt bonds versus just $84 million by Tribal governments.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThis 559-fold gap forces rural Tribal communities to pay significantly higher capital costs for the same projects.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nIndividual section summaries can be found on NAFOA’s Policy page<\/a>. \r\n

<\/P>\r\nContinue Reading<\/a>\r\n\r\n

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3. WEBINAR:<\/em><\/div>\r\n
Understanding Federal Government Shutdown Impacts on Tribal Nations<\/div>\r\nFederal government shutdowns create real uncertainty for Tribal Nations, from funding interruptions to impacts on critical services. To help Tribal leaders and communities prepare, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is hosting an important webinar, \u201cUnderstanding Federal Government Shutdown Impacts on Tribal Nations\u201d this Monday, September 29 at 2:00\u20133:00 p.m. ET.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nJoin presenters Tyler Scribner, Liz Carr, and other experts as they walk through:\r\n

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