A meeting to accept public comment and discuss Indian trust reform is being held today at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota.

The meeting will focus on efforts to fix the trust system and settle the Cobell lawsuit. A workgroup of the National Congress of American Indians and the Intertribal Trust Fund Monitoring Association has been drafting legislation to address these two major issues.

The legislation is expected to be introduced this month by Sens. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the chair and the vice-chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Dorgan is expected to address the meeting via distance technology.

NCAI President Tex Hall will lead the meeting, which begins at 9am today in the Jack Barden Center lower level. Other participants include John Echohawk, the executive director of the Native American Rights Fund, and key Congressional staff.

Tribal leaders and individual Indian landowners are expected to provide comments about trust reform litigation and legislation.

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
Senate Indian Affairs Committee - http://indian.senate.gov

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