"From the start, the whole paternalistic premise of the government-as-trustee relationship between American Indians and the U.S. government was wrong.
Now, an amendment to legislation settling a decade-old lawsuit by Natives against the federal government offers an opportunity to embark upon a fair and honest course for the future.
In short, the legislation would remove from the federal government responsibility for managing American Indian trust lands.
Now committee staff members have suggested an amendment that would go a step further - a step we believe is worth exploring, with tribes leading the conversation and decision-making.
The new proposal would end, over a period of 10 years, most of the federal government's responsibilities for managing Indian lands. The ground would remain in trust, but the landowners themselves would make almost all land-use decisions and all revenues would go directly to the owners."
Get the Story:
Editorial: Time to trust Natives to manage lands
(The Missoulian 11/1)
Briefing Paper:
NEWLY
PROPOSED PROVISIONS FOR SENATE BILL 1439 THE INDIAN TRUST REFORM ACT (SCIA
10/23)
Press Release:
ADDITIONAL
CONSULTATION MEETINGS TO BE HELD ON S.1439 (SCIA 10/19)
Relevant Documents:
Staff
Draft of Cobell Settlement Bill (Posted by ITMA)
Senate Indian Affairs Committee Statement:
INDIAN
AFFAIRS COMMITTEE POSTPONES CONSIDERATION OF TRUST REFORM LEGISLATION
(August 2, 2006)
Indian Trust Reform Act:
S.1439
| H.R.4322
Relevant Links:
Senate Indian Affairs Committee - http://indian.senate.gov
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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DOI's Internet
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Anderson praises
Cobell suit in NCAI speech (2/25)
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(11/20)
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Cobell
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budget bill (11/04)
Norton welcomes
time-out in Cobell trust fund case (11/4)
Bush official balks at large
settlement for Cobell (7/10)
Court investigator slams Interior's
trust fund report (04/22)
Norton gets another day in court
(4/22)
Court looks into
TAAMS 'concealment' (11/07)
Court probes Norton's trust fund
report (10/11)
Norton's
witness on TAAMS does damage (09/23)
Top trust reform official comes under
fire (05/21)
Feisty memos at
heart of trust reform feud (05/20)
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same (05/13)
A super
assistant secretary, in all but name (05/03)
Memo sounded early warning on TAAMS
(2/4)
Trust system takes center
stage in contempt (2/1)
Trust reform update sheds some
light (1/22)
Norton: Trust
reform blueprint 'obsolete' (1/18)
Under watch of Swimmer, TAAMS
halted (1/18)
Norton signs
trust reform update (1/17)
Witness testifies against software
corruption (1/15)
TAAMS:
The Titanic Failure (12/20)
TAAMS failure traced to promoted
manager (12/20)
Norton
ordered to submit trust fund report (12/18)
Official: Trust fund fix at 'great risk'
of failure (10/10)
Memo:
Solicitor's order was 'intimidating' (10/10)
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Wednesday, November 1, 2006
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