WASHINGTON, D.C. – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will be holding a series of tribal consultation meetings on the realignment of the BIA’s 12 regional offices. The realignment is a result of the reorganization currently taking place within the Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, the BIA and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. The meetings will take place on September 24-25 at the Hilton Garden Inn – Tulsa Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and on October 27-30 at the MGM Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“With these consultation meetings, I intend to fulfill a commitment made to tribal leaders to consult with them prior to finalizing the regional level reorganization,” Martin said. “This is an opportunity for tribes to help us design a regional office structure that meets their needs.”
The schedule for the consultation meetings will be as follows:
• September 24, 2003 (Tulsa): Southern Plains Region, Eastern Oklahoma Region
• September 25, 2003 (Tulsa): Midwest Region, Eastern Region
• October 27, 2003 (Las Vegas): Great Plains Region, Rocky Mountain Region
• October 28, 2003 (Las Vegas): Southwest Region, Navajo Region
• October 29, 2003 (Las Vegas): Pacific Region, Northwest Region
• October 30, 2003 (Las Vegas): Western Region, Alaska Region
In June 2003, the Department held 18 informational sessions throughout the country to brief employees, Indian tribes and interested parties on the status and structure of the reorganization. The upcoming consultation meetings will provide an opportunity for tribes and interested parties to provide oral and written comments regarding the organizational structure of the BIA’s 12 regional offices for consideration by the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs.
The Department will publish this week a notice in the Federal Register with dates and locations of the meetings. Comments will be due two weeks following the consultation for each region.
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