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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2001

The following are remarks prepared for delivery by Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles at the National Congress of American Indians in Spokane, Washington. November 28, 2001.

Thank you, President Masten, for that kind introduction. Good morning Tribal Leaders, guests, ladies and gentlemen. It's an honor for me to be here at NCAI's 58th annual convention. I want to thank NCAI for giving me the opportunity to talk with you about the Department of the Interior's plan to improve its management of Indian and tribal trust assets.

While I may be unfamiliar to many of you, I'm no stranger to Indian Country. In fact, I've worked with a number of tribes over the years. It's because of my experience in Indian affairs that I feel I can talk candidly with you about the Department's plan, about Secretary Norton's hopes for the future, and to describe some of the ways in which you can help us improve the department's management of your trust assets.

As you may or may not know, Secretary Norton has entrusted me with the responsibility for overseeing the department's implementation of Indian trust reform. Now we are entering a new phase in this effort. I want to present her proposed plan for reorganizing and consolidating Indian and tribal trust asset management functions into a new, single organizational unit within Interior.

I know from experience that healthy organizations place a premium on the frank, open exchange of views, especially those that lead to new solutions for old problems -- solutions that can benefit all parties who participate in the problem-solving process. This is what Secretary Norton calls her "Four C's:" Consultation, cooperation, and communication -- all in the service of conservation. And this is a process she is firmly committed to.

If you change the fourth 'C' to a 'T' -- as in trust management -- the process is about fixing a system that badly needs attention. That's what I'd like to discuss with you today. More importantly, however, is your input - comments, suggestions and ideas -- that will aid our efforts to bring about meaningful trust reform.

Since Secretary Norton's appointment last February and my confirmation in July, we have been diligently working to gain a comprehensive view of what constitutes the Interior Department's management of Indian and tribal trust assets. Along the way, we noted problems observed even by tribal leaders.

Ultimately, we determined that, in order to know in which direction trust reform should go, we needed to know what efforts already had been tried and where things stood now. To help us in this, Secretary Norton commissioned Electronic Data Systems Inc., a national management consulting firm, to prepare an independent assessment of where things stood on trust reform. After studying the department's trust management programs, EDS recommended that there be a single, accountable executive in charge of Indian and tribal trust asset management.

This confirmed the Secretary's earliest views about the possibility of setting up a single trust organization within Interior headed by a single, accountable executive. About two weeks ago, we proposed just that -- a new Bureau of Indian Trust Assets Management with a new Assistant Secretary for Indian Trust Assets Management to run it.

What we are proposing is what I would describe as a three-part model for Indian and tribal trust assets management within the Interior Department. The parts are the proposed new Bureau of Indian Trust Assets Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians.

First, under the department's proposed plan, the new Bureau of Indian Trust Assets Management, BITAM for short, will concentrate on four main areas: 1) trust reform, 2) performance and program management, 3) beneficiary services and 4) trust asset and investment strategy development. BITAM will be supervised by the Assistant Secretary for Indian Trust Assets Management.

Second, the Bureau of Indian Affairs will continue to administer, under the supervision of Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb, the programs and services under its responsibility, such as Indian education, economic development, transportation and law enforcement. With the BIA freed from the burden of trust asset management, it can focus on improving these programs and services to benefit the American Indian and Alaska Native people and tribes, who are its clients.

Third, the Office of the Special Trustee, who reports directly to Secretary Norton, will continue to monitor and provide oversight of the Department's trust reform efforts.

I, along with Special Trustee Tom Slonaker and Assistant Secretary McCaleb, will work with Ross Swimmer, who has been chosen by Secretary Norton to be the director of the new Office of Indian Trust Transition. His job will be to manage the transition of trust asset management functions from the BIA to BITAM.

Ross will help us pull together a dedicated transition team drawn largely from the employees of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and, hopefully, from your ranks, as well, to help us develop the Bureau of Indian Trust Assets Management. As we move aggressively through this transition process, we'll need your input. You are the most important component of this process, and we want to hear your concerns and ideas.

Some may be complacent with the status quo. We, however, are not. Some may be willing to provide you with business as usual. We will not. Secretary Norton and I are now responsible for managing Indian trust accounts, and we take this responsibility very seriously.

We will reform trust management. We will get the job done. But, will need your help.

In conclusion, the bottom line is this: The Bureau of Indian Trust Assets Management is needed to ensure that the Department of the Interior moves forward in reforming its management of Indian and tribal trust assets. This administration is committed to taking action now that will chart a new course for positive, productive trust reform, benefiting American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and individual Indian account holders.

By working together hand-in-hand, friend-to-friend and nation-to-nation with open, honest communication, we can make meaningful trust reform a reality.

Thank you.

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