Hansen letter to Norton

FROM THE ARCHIVE

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2002

The following is the text of a letter Rep. Jim Hansen (R-Utah), chairman of the House Resources Committee, sent to Secretary of Interior Gale Norton. January 15, 2002.

The Honorable Gale Norton
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20240

Dear Secretary Norton:

The Committee on Resources will hold an oversight hearing on Indian Trust Fund Accounts, the Department of Interior's Restructuring Proposal and the Impacts of the Court Order Closing Access to the Department's Computer Systems. the hearing will take place on Wednesday, February 6, 2002, at 10:00 a.m., in room 1334 Longworth House Office Building. I cordially invite you or your representative to testify at this hearing.

The hearing will focus on the status of individual and tribal Indian trust accounts and how the Department of the Interior is 'responding to issues raised in the class action lawsuit, Cobell v. Norton. There are several issues of particular interest to the committee that you should be prepared to discuss: the Department's proposal to restructure trust asset management and the progress of consultation with Native Americans; the issue of individual account security and the impacts of the recent order to halt computer access; and the status and challenges of historical accounting. We are aware that the House Committee on Appropriations has requested a copy of a report compiled by Ernst and Young on the issue of historical accounting. We are also interested in receiving this report and expect you to discuss the results of the report at this hearing. . .

[rest of letter outlining committee rules deleted]

Sincerely,

James V. Hansen
Chairman

Enclosures