PROCLAMATION 7248—NOV. 8, 1999
113 STAT. 2173
reading and mathematics. And we are working to get computers into
every classroom and to expand the use of educati(mal technology.
We are also seeking ways to empower Native American communities
and help them prosper. My Administration is e>:panding consultation
and collaborative decision-making with tribal governments to promote
self-determination. We also support tribal government economic development initiatives, particularly those that increase or enhance the infrastructure necessary for long-term economic growth. My New Markets Initiative seeks to leverage public and private investment to boost
economic development in areas that have not shared in our recent national prosperity, hi July, I visited the Pine Ridge Reservation of the
Oglala Sioux, as part of my New Markets Tour, to explore opportunities for economic development in Indian Country.
Among the most serious barriers to economic growth facing tribal commxmities is a lack of housing, physical infrastructure, and essential
services. My Administration is working with tribal leaders to build and
renovate affordable housing on tribal lands, tiring quality drinking
water to economically distressed Indian communities, and improve
public safety. We are moving to assist tribal governments in developing
the physical infrastructure needed for economic development, including roads, fiber-optic cabling, and electric power lines.
In working together to shape a brighter future for Indian Country, we
must not lose sight of the rich history of Native Americans. Just weeks
ago, the Smithsonian Institution broke ground on the National Mall for
the National Museum of the Americein Indiem. "^rhis wonderful facility
will preserve and celebrate the art, history, and culture of America's
indigenous peoples. It is also fitting that the first U.S. dollar coin of
the new millennium will bear the likeness of Sacajawea and her infant
son—an image that captiures the importance of our shared history.
NOW. THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November
1999 as National American Indian Heritage Month. I urge all Americans, as well as their elected representatives at the Federal, State, local,
and tribal levels, to observe tiiis month with appropriate programs,
ceremonies, and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereimto set my hand this first day
of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-
nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-fourth.
Vi^ILLIAM J. CLINTON
Proclamation 7248 of November 8, 1999
Veterans Day, 1999
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Throughout U.S. history, Americans have kept a special place of honor
in their hearts for our veterans; and for more than 70 years, we have
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