Regulations establishing procedures for Indian tribes seeking to form tribal constitutions or charters, or make changes in existing ones, were published in the Federal Register January 7, Commissioner of Indian Affairs William E. Hallett said today.
The purpose of the new regulations is to provide uniformity and order in holding elections, authorized by the Secretary of the Interior, to vote on constitutions and bylaws or charters. The new regulations will be applicable to tribes, including those in Oklahoma and Alaska, previously governed by three different sets of regulations, published and unpublished.
A significant change, introduced by new regulations, is that the signatures of at least 60 percent of the adult members of a tribe are required for any effective petition requesting reorganization. Previously, a petition signed by one-third of the adult members was considered valid.
A proposal to eliminate petitioning by tribal members as a way to initiate a tribal reorganization was rejected, following comments on the proposed regulations published in July 1979.
Related regulations to establish procedures for the formulation and submission of petitions, when this process is valid according to the tribal constitution or certain Federal statutes, are being published simultaneously in the Federal Register.
The new regulations become effective 30 days after publication.
For additional information contact Robert Farring, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 19th and C Streets, N.W., Washington, D. C. 20240, (202/343-2511).
