The House Resources Committee will hold a hearing on legislation to settle the Cobell v. Norton trust fund lawsuit and institute reforms at the Interior Department.

The "Legislative Hearing on the Indian Trust Reform Act of 2005," takes place at 10am on Thursday in Room 1324 of the Longworth House Office Building. The witness list has not yet been released.

S.1439 and H.R.4322 would end the historical accounting portion of the Cobell lawsuit. The plaintiffs have sought $27.5 billion but key members of Congress say the amount is too high.

Both bills would eliminate the Office of Special Trustee, create a deputy secretary position to oversee Indian affairs, establish an Indian Trust Asset Management Policy Review Commission and authorize a new land consolidation program. The Indian Trust Asset Management Demonstration Project, created for a handful of tribes a couple of years ago, would be expanded to more tribes.

The hearing will be broadcast online at http://resourcescommittee.house.gov.

Get the Story:
Indians bring dispute back to Congress (The Oklahoman 12/4)
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Historical Accounting Decision:
Cobell v. Norton (November 15, 2005)

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
National Congress of American Indians - http://www.ncai.org
Intertribal Trust Fund Monitoring Association - http://www.itmatrustfunds.org

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