The Senate Indian Affairs Committee voted last month to advance the nomination of Vince Logan to serve as the Special Trustee for American Indians.

Logan, a member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, is an Individual Indian Money (IIM) account holder. At his confirmation hearing last month, he said he remembers going to the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a child when his parents sought information about their trust assets.

Logan has a background in the financial sector. If he is confirmed to the OST position, he plans to emphasize financial literacy in Indian Country, particularly among youth.

The position has been vacant for five years. President Barack Obama, who first took office in January 2009, waited until September 2012 to announce Logan as his pick for OST.

The committee approved the nomination at a business meeting on December 18, 2013. He can now be considered by the full Senate.

“Mr. Logan has shown a great passion for working with tribes and individual Indians to manage their trust assets and the committee appreciates his willingness to take on this difficult position,” Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), the chairwoman of the committee, said in a press release.

“Mr. Logan brings a strong financial background to this position,” added Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), the vice chair of the committee. “His experience and understanding in this field will serve him well as the Special Trustee for American Indians.”

The American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 created OST. The office was designed to oversee trust reform efforts at the Interior Department after numerous reports showed management failures.

After some slow starts during the Clinton administration, OST quickly grew in size, budget and scope during the Bush administration. Tribal leaders complained that the Bureau of Indian Affairs was being punished by the dramatic expansion.

The Obama administration has hinted that it will explore the "sunset" provisions of the 1994 act and scale back OST's role in the coming years, an idea supported by some tribal leaders.

Vincent G. Logan. Photo courtesy U.S. Department of the Interior

Committee Notice:
NOMINATION HEARING to consider the President's Nomination of Vincent G. Logan, to be Special Trustee, Office of Special Trustee for American Indians, Department of the Interior. (December 11, 2013)

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