SPIRIT LAKE NATION — After seven years, the Interior Board of Indian Appeals (IBIA) has ruled in favor of the Spirit Lake Tribe and its appeal of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' decision to partially deny Child Protection Services funding.

In 2017, the Spirit Lake Tribe proposed taking over full operation of its tribal CPS program under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA), according to a press release.

The tribe requested $666,983 annually, an amount the release said was based on funding levels the BIA provided during the preceding three years. The BIA approved $338,815 and denied the remaining $331,319.

A decision issued by the Interior Board of Indian Appeals (IBIA) on July 17 ruled the BIA's 2018 partial declination was a violation of federal law, accord

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