The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing this morning on S.1439, the Indian Trust Reform Act.

The hearing focuses on Titles II-IV of the bill. These sections deal with reforms at the Interior Department, including a provision to eliminate the Office of Special Trustee.

You can listen to audio files of the hearing. A webcast is also available at the committee's web site. The witness list follows:

• Witness List | Webcast

• Introduction - 2:36 - 609k

Panel 1
• Testimony - 9:50 - 2.2MB | Q&A - 2:23 - 597b
MR. JIM CASON
Associate Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior
MR. ROSS SWIMMER
Special Trustee for American Indians, U.S. Department of the Interior

Panel 2
• Testimony - 32:50 - 7.5MB | Q&A - 12:04 - 2.8MB
THE HONORABLE TEX HALL
Chairman, Three Affiliated Tribes Business Council
CHIEF JIM GRAY
Chairman, Board of Directors, Inter-Tribal Monitoring Association
THE HONORABLE CLIFFORD LYLE MARSHALL SR.
Chairman Hoopa Valley Tribal Council
MR. AUSTIN NUNEZ
Chair San Xavier District, Indian Land Working Group
MS. MAJEL RUSSELL
Attorney Elk River Law Office

Indian Trust Reform Act:
S.1439

DOI Press Release:
DOI Tribal Consultation Meeting On Draft Indian Trust Management Regulations March 29, 2006 (DOI March 23)

Relevant Documents:
Proposed Regulation Changes (Posted by the Inter-Tribal Monitoring Association)

Jim Cason Letter:
Dear Tribal Leader (January 26, 2006)

Relevant Links:
National Congress of American Indians - http://www.ncai.org
Intertribal Trust Fund Monitoring Association - http://www.itmatrustfunds.org
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Cobell v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm

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