Tester, Baucus secure $100,000 for Ft. Belknap jobs and opportunity

Senate panel approves funding for youth training and workforce development

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The influential Senate Appropriations Committee has approved $100,000 to help train young people on the Ft. Belknap Indian Reservation, Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus announced today.

The funding is part of $2 million secured for Montana by Tester, a member of the Appropriations Committee, and Baucus in the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill.

The $100,000 approved today will help develop a summer employment and training program for young Ft. Belknap residents.  The project will connect young participants to elders, to other young people, and to job site supervisors.

“As we work to get our economy back on its feet, this is a smart investment in Montana’s future,” said Tester, who also serves on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.  “This project will provide new opportunities for folks at Ft. Belknap, and I’ll vote for this funding every step of the way.”

“This project will help prepare the next generation of Montanans for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Baucus, chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee.  “All Montanans benefit when we give our young people the skills they need for their future.  I’m proud to support that effort.”

The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Bill now goes to the full Senate for approval.  A similar measure has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives.