North Dakota's tribal colleges just got a large amount of money to fund a specific group of students.

Surrounded by legislators, educators and tribal leaders, Governor Hoeven signed House Bill 13-95 into law this afternoon at United Tribes Technical College

The bill gives 700-thousand dollars to the state's five tribal colleges to be used to help pay for some of the costs of non-tribal students.

The bill has been introduced and voted down in the legislature since 1989.

But this year, both the House and Senate passed it.

Governor Hoeven says the money being provided is an investment in the state's workforce and future.

(Governor John Hoeven, (R) ND): "education is how we life ourselves u..., each one of us individually... and how we lift up our tribe, how we lift up our people and how we lift up our state." (Jim Davis, President of the North Dakota Association of Tribal Colleges): "It's a win for everyone. It's not just for tribal colleges. It's not just for the individuals who attend there, but it's for everyone that is enrolled at the tribal colleges. I think it's also a win for even the whole entire higher education system."


10-percent of students at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck alone are non-native. watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list