Facebook Twitter Email
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2002

The nation's largest inter-tribal organization criticized the Bush administration's draft legislation to take "unclaimed" Indian land.

In a analysis distributed to tribal leaders, the National Congress of American Indians said the proposal was "alarming" because it shifts the burden from the trustee to the beneficiary. Indian landowners would forfeit their rights even if the Department of Interior can't identify them.

The outlines of the legislation were outlined in a September 26 report on Indianz.Com.

The bill is still in the very early stages of development. But tribal leaders already rejected the proposal last month.

Department officials intended to discuss the proposal at the trust reform task force yesterday. Instead, the meeting turned into a debate over the future of the tribes' relationship with the Interior.

The department plans to go to Congress with its own trust reform projects -- with or without tribal involvement. Tribes plan on drafting their own legislative packages as well.

Today on Indianz.Com:
Sparks fly at trust reform meeting (9/27)

Relevant Documents:
Draft of Unclaimed Property Proposal | S.1340: A bill to amend the Indian Land Consolidation Act

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Trust Reform, NCAI - http://www.ncai.org/main/pages/
issues/other_issues/trust_reform.asp

Related Stories:
Norton drafts Indian land grab (9/26)
Rift widens on trust reform negotiations (9/12)
Tribes scrap talks on trust standards (9/11)
Tribal leaders debate trust reform bill (5/23)
McCaleb gets too close to termination (1/29)
Interior moving to close trust fund accounts (1/25)