URL: https://www.indianz.com/News/archives/002202.asp

Monday, October 27, 2003

The House Resources Committee held a field hearing in Billings, Montana, on the Cobell v. Norton lawsuit.

The committee is interested in hearing ways in which Congress might settle the seven-year-old trust fund case. Tribal leaders were mixed on the issue, The Billings Gazette reported, with some supporting Congressional intervention but others wanting the matter left to the courts.

There are several legislative efforts targeting the suit. Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) has proposed appropriating $10 billion to pay account holders. Sens. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), the leaders of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, have introduced a bill to spend $40 million on resolving the account balances.

Last week, the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee unveiled language that would prevent the Department of Interior from carrying out a court-ordered historical accounting until the higher courts can review a September 25 affirming the rights of Indian beneficiaries.

Get the Story:
Tribes want trust predicament settled (The Billings Gazette 10/26)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Cobell v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust

Related Stories:
DOI bill halts Indian trust fund case (10/24)
Bill targets Indian trust fund suit (10/22)
House chairman supports self-governance rider (10/14)
Self-governance tribes fear impact of reorganization (10/09)
Lamberth lays out future of Indian trust reform (09/26)
Court report finds undervaluation of Navajo lands (08/21)
Administration eyes consolidation of Indian appraisals (08/15)
Tally for private attorney fees in Cobell case rises (07/24)
Congress hacks Bush's accounting funds (7/16)
Swimmer partly right on trust fund rider (7/14)
Bush official balks at large settlement for Cobell (7/10)
On trust, lawmakers take Bush officials at face value (06/25)
Private attorneys reap benefits on Cobell case (06/24)
Norton offered settlement funds for IIM trust (6/20)
Lamberth criticizes interference with trust fund case (05/22)
Bush administration turns to Congress on trust (04/04)

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