Sen. Tester busy meeting with tribes, Cobell

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana) defeated former Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana) with the help of Indian voters. Now he's making sure he represents tribal interests in Washington, D.C.

By checking online, constituents can find out how. His daily schedule -- posted on his Senate web site - details meetings last week with Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in the Indian trust fund lawsuit, Bureau of Indian Affairs nominee Carl Artman and a Senate Indian Affairs CommitTee hearing. On another week, he met with three different tribes on one day.

Tester, whose campaigned hammered Burns on allegations of public corruption, said he posts his schedule to make the government process more open. "I just wanted to give people an opportunity to see who I meet with," he tells The Washington Post. "I believe in transparent government and this is my effort."

Get the Story:
Capitol's Newcomers Try a Little Openness (The Washington Post 2/4)
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$rl Sen. Jon Tester - http://tester.senate.gov

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