"In his July 16 column, Mark Trahant says, "It's time for the United States to keep its word. That's what a trustee is supposed to do." I wanted to add that in fact, with great help from tribal leaders and individual Indians, that is exactly what staff at the Department of the Interior has been working to do.

It was well-documented that Indian trust was greatly in need of reform; while there is more work to be done, I'm proud of the fact that the management of the Indian trust looks very different today than it did even five years ago.

Seattle is one of the cities at the forefront of our reform efforts. For the first time in history, Interior has hired skilled fiduciary trust officers across Indian Country to work directly with Indian trust account holders. As part of that effort, we hired trust officers in three urban areas with large populations of Indian beneficiaries, including Seattle. Local Fiduciary Trust Officer Cynthia Metivier is dedicated to working directly with account holders in the Northwest to answer questions about their accounts and trust assets.

Add to that, Indian trust beneficiaries now can call a toll-free information center where staff will help them receive answers to their trust questions (1-888-678-6836). Technology is being improved across the nation, including systems by which trust funds get collected, deposited and distributed."

Get the Story:
Ross Swimmer: Indian trust is well-managed by U.S. (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 7/28)

Indian Trust Reform Act:
S.1439 | H.R.4322

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

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