North Dakota Won’t Promise to Spend 5% of Federal Health Funds on Tribal Communities

(North Dakota Monitor) – A committee of North Dakota lawmakers did not support a proposal that sought to guarantee at least 5% of federal rural health care funding go to the state’s tribal communities.

The state is drafting an application for $500 million in federal funding for rural health care in North Dakota that will be distributed over the next five years. North Dakota also is vying for additional funds.

Rep. Jayme Davis, a Democrat from Rolette, advocated during a committee meeting Tuesday for a motion that would have required 5% of that be allocated to tribal nations in the state each year. Davis, a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, said the money is meant to address areas with the biggest funding disparities.

“It’s my people who have the biggest disparities in North Dakota,” Davis said.