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House chairman supports self-governance rider
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
The chairman of the House Resources Committee is backing an appropriations rider that would shield self-governance tribes from the ongoing reorganization at the Department of Interior.
In a September 30 letter, Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) said the provision will help tribes who have contracted trust management duties from the federal government by maintaining existing relationships and funding arrangements. He urged Rep. Charles Taylor (R-N.C.), head of the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee, to include the rider in the final version of Interior's budget bill that is still being negotiated.
"The Trust Reform Demonstration Project would allow ten tribes to continue their successful trust management systems as they currently exist," Pombo wrote. "This would allow the preservation of successful trust management systems while wholesale trust reform within the DOI is evaluated."
Tribal leaders testified before Pombo's committee last week. They supported the rider, known as Section 134, and said it would prevent the reorganization from hurting their systems.
A joint House-Senate conference committee continues work on the Interior budget bill this week.
The House version does not include the Trust Reform Demonstration Project.
The full text of Section 134 reads:
Notwithstanding any implementation of the Department of the
Interior's trust reorganization plan within fiscal years 2003 or 2004, funds
appropriated for fiscal year 2004 shall be available to the tribes within the
California Tribal Trust Reform Consortium and to the Salt River Pima Maricopa
Indian Community, the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation and the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boys Reservation and the
Bureau of Indian Affairs Regional offices that serve them, on the same basis as
funds were distributed in fiscal year 2003. The Demonstration Project shall
operate separate and apart from the Department of the Interior's trust reform
reorganization, and the Department shall not impose its trust management
infrastructure upon or alter the existing trust resource management systems of
the California Trust Reform Consortium and any other participating tribe having
a self-governance compact and operating in accordance with the Tribal
Self-Governance Program set forth in 25 U.S.C. Sections 458aa-458hh
Relevant Documents:
Pombo Letter
(September 30, 2003)
DOI Budget Bills:
H.R.2691
|
H.Rept.108-195
|
S.1391
|
S.Rept.108-89
Related Stories:
Tribal leaders assail
reorganization (10/10)
House panel
takes testimony on self-governance (10/8)
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