OPA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the heels of President Obama’s historic visit yesterday to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North and South Dakota, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced the implementation of a new initiative to hire more American Indian and Alaska Native veterans to work for Indian Affairs.

“In building a 21st century workforce, we recognize the importance of attracting and retaining veterans in this organization,” said Assistant Secretary Washburn. “Individuals who have served in the Armed Forces have a proven track record for integrity, discipline and leadership, and are highly qualified candidates in a variety of occupations throughout Indian Affairs.”

To achieve the goal of hiring more American Indian and Alaska Native veterans throughout Indian Affairs offices and bureaus, Washburn announced plans to increase the number of Indian veterans hired from the current rate of 9 percent to 12.5 percent.

Indian Affairs bureaus, regional offices and agencies provide a wide range of direct services to American Indian and Alaska Natives and already utilize an Indian Preference policy in hiring. Nearly 100 percent of the positions in the Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education are staffed with American Indian and Alaska Native employees through Indian Preference. Indian Affairs officials are interested in hiring veterans prior to their discharge from the Armed Forces and are actively seeking members of the National Guard and reserves who are looking for careers that serve Indian Country.

Veterans Initiative

Steps that will be taken to achieve the new initiative include:

1. Increasing participation in job fairs targeting veterans;
2. Establishing a presence on the Fedshirevets.gov website to highlight success stories of veterans already working in Indian Affairs;
3. Utilizing social media such as Facebook and Twitter to promote accomplishments of veterans in Indian Affairs and alert prospects of the availability of open positions;
4. Leveraging resources with other DOI agencies that have been successful in recruiting veterans to develop new strategies for attracting veterans to employment opportunities within Indian Affairs;
5. Working with local veterans groups, especially Native American veterans groups, in the field to publish employment opportunities with Indian Affairs;
6. Using the USAJobs.gov website to highlight positions of interest to veterans that will utilize their skills gained in military service; and
7. Developing a Senior Executive Service (SES) performance element targeting increases in veteran hires in positions within Indian Affairs offices and bureaus.

For more information about the DOI Indian Affairs’ hire the American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans Initiative, please visit our website at http://www.bia.gov/Jobs/Veterans/ or call Nancy Nelson, Human Resources Specialist, Indian Affairs Office of Human Capital Management, at (202) 208-6175.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs assists and supports the Secretary of the Interior in fulfilling the United States’ trust responsibility to the federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, villages and individual trust beneficiaries. The Office of Human Capital Management (OHCM) oversees human resources management, policy and operations for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education and the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs. The Office of Human Capital Management reports to the Deputy Assistant Secretary Indian Affairs – Management within the Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of President Obama’s commitment to support tribal self-governance and self-determination, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today announced a package of regulatory initiatives intended to help tribal leaders to spur investment opportunities and economic development in Indian Country.

Highlighted by the President during his historic visit to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe last week, the Department's actions will help remove regulatory barriers to infrastructure and energy development in Indian Country; increase tribal community access to expanded, high-speed Internet resources via broadband; eliminate leasing impediments to land development; and support the growth of new markets for Native American and Alaska Native businesses.

“Over the 14 months on the job, I’ve had the great privilege of visiting just as many tribal reservations,” said Secretary Jewell, who chairs the White House Council on Native American Affairs. “Last week, on the heels of the President’s visit to Indian Country, I joined Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman David Archambault on a tour of his tribal lands. As Secretary, I have seen first-hand both economic success stories and the dramatic challenges tribes still face to generate employment and develop infrastructure within Indian Country.”

Jewell further said, “While some tribes are experiencing economic progress in recent years, many others continue to face formidable economic hardship. Providing greater deference to tribes under the principles of self-determination and improving our federal regulations to meet the needs of the 21st century means we can help remove some of these barriers to economic development on tribal lands and lay a solid foundation for economic development as well as improve the quality of life for American Indians and Alaska Natives in their homelands.”

The package of Interior regulatory initiatives includes:

Facilitating Indian Country Infrastructure Development

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is proposing new regulations for issuing “right-of-way” approvals on Indian land for all purposes. The rule would modernize and streamline the process for obtaining BIA approval for infrastructure development, providing tribal leaders, private companies, utility firms and energy developers greater certainty when designing or implementing infrastructure, including expanded Internet capacity through broadband access, transmission lines, and water, road and energy projects. The new regulations propose strict timelines for BIA approval of all requests; eliminate the need for BIA approval of pre-development surveys, and limit the situations in which BIA may disapprove a right-of-way, all in an effort to provide faster approvals of right-of-way applications, facilitating economic development and greater deference to tribal priorities.

Removing Barriers to Land Development through Increased Tribal Self-governance

The BIA will conduct a series of training sessions to help tribal leaders implement the Helping Expedite & Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership (HEARTH) Act. When a tribal business needs to build a factory or a family wants to purchase a new home on a reservation, the lease generally requires BIA approval. Since 2012, however, the HEARTH Act provides tribes the opportunity to establish and enforce their own land leasing regulations in order to expedite the process for long-term leasing of tribal trust lands for residential, business, renewable energy and other purposes. Twenty-one tribes have submitted proposals to assume leasing responsibilities, and 12 have already received approvals for their regulations. The new BIA training supports tribal self-governance by helping to increase the number of tribes able to control leases on their land without BIA approval. This builds on Interior’s progress in strengthening tribal control over tribal resources.

Supporting the Growth of New Markets for Native American and Alaska Native Small Businesses

Interior’s Indian Affairs bureaus and offices will increase federal procurement opportunities by issuing a new directive improving implementation of the Buy Indian Act and increasing Indian Affairs’ procurement purchases from Native American-owned small businesses by 10 percent. The Buy Indian Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to set aside certain qualifying acquisitions for American Indian-and Alaska Native-owned and controlled small businesses. These purchasing contracts issued by Indian Affairs offices and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education will help increase economic activity and provide greater employment opportunities in Indian Country. “Underlying these initiatives is the Administration's firm belief that tribal leaders must have a seat at the table,” said Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn. “These initiatives we are announcing are part of a coordinated federal effort outlined by the President that builds on the significant progress this Administration has made in partnering with tribes on a nation-to-nation basis to promote prosperous and resilient communities.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Justice Services (OJS) will hold its fourth trial advocacy training session of 2014 for tribal court personnel on June 23-26, 2014, in Albuquerque, N.M. This unique session widens the parameters of previous training sessions, by focusing on pre-trial writing and advocacy skills using a DUI fact pattern and the laws of the Navajo Nation.

Because of a high level of interest, OJS is offering legal training it successfully held in 2012 and 2013 to new groups of tribal court judges, prosecutors, public defenders and other court personnel to improve their trial advocacy skills. Training to-date has focused on case studies involving illegal narcotics, domestic violence and sexual assault on adults and children. This month’s writing session in Albuquerque is a result of a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Indian Affairs and participants who have attended past sessions. In addition, each session includes a roundtable discussion on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) with a panel of tribal attorneys who have first-hand knowledge of the requirements of that law’s jurisdictional pilot project application.

The three training sessions held this year and their topics are: Jan. 27-30, Albuquerque, N.M. (sexual assault on adults); March 31-April 3, Denver, Colo. (illegal narcotics) and May 19-22, Helena, Mont. (domestic violence).

A component of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010, the Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Training Program is a joint effort by the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Justice to further the Act’s mandate to strengthen tribal sovereignty over criminal justice matters on federal Indian lands by sharpening the skills of those who practice within the tribal court system.

The program is the result of a collaborative effort by OJS and the DOJ’s Access to Justice Initiative to offer trial advocacy training with courses designed specifically for tribal courts and free training to the judges, public defenders and prosecutors who work in them. Training is conducted by working law professionals using instructional materials prepared by experts knowledgeable about tribal court issues. The program is unique for its public defenders training and now has specific training for tribal judges.

President Obama signed the Violence Against Women Act on March 7, 2013. It includes important provisions for federally recognized tribes to combat violence against Native women, such as homicide, rape, assault and battery in the home, workplace and on school campuses throughout Indian Country.

WHO: Office of Justice Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior.

WHAT: The fourth OJS Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Training Program session of 2014 to improve the trial advocacy skills of tribal court judges, prosecutors, public defenders and other court personnel as mandated under the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010. This session will provide tribal judges, prosecutors and defense counsel with practice in pre-trial writing and advocacy skills using a DUI fact pattern and based on the laws of the Navajo Nation. It includes a roundtable discussion on the Violence Against Women Act.

WHEN: June 23-26, 2014 (MDT)

• Monday, June 23: 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 24: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 25: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Thursday, June 26: 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

WHERE: BIA-Building II, 1011 Indian School Road N.W., Albuquerque, New Mexico.

CREDENTIALS: This invitation is extended to credentialed media representatives, who must display sanctioned media credentials for admittance to the event.

Washington, D.C. — Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced an extension of the comment deadline on the proposed rule to accept applications to place land into trust in Alaska, in response to several requests for extension. The public may provide written comment through July 31, 2014. The proposed rule was announced earlier this year as part of President Obama’s commitment to upholding the nation’s trust responsibilities to American Indian and Alaska Natives.

The proposal would allow the Secretary of the Interior to consider applications to take land into trust in Alaska. The pertinent regulations are at 25 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 151, entitled Land Acquisitions, which provides the regulatory framework within which the Secretary of the Interior must consider requests and exercise her discretion to take land into trust. The exclusion of Alaska in Part 151 was put in place by the Department in 1980.

The proposed rule to explicitly include Alaska has been available for public comment since May 1, 2014. The proposed rule can be viewed online at: http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/ASIA/Consultation/index.htm. The Department also welcomes written comments from the public and tribal members, via email at consultation@bia.gov, or via mail to Mr. Kevin K. Washburn, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, 1849 C Street NW, MS-7328-MIB, Washington, D.C. 20240.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs oversees the BIA, which is headed by a director who is responsible for managing day-to-day operations through four offices – Indian Services, Justice Services, Trust Services and Field Operations. These offices directly administer or fund tribally based infrastructure, law enforcement, social services, tribal governance, natural and energy resources, and trust management programs for the nation’s federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages through 12 regional offices and 85 agencies.

FEDERAL REGISTER VOL. 79, NO.126, JULY 1, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of the Interior today announced that $2.9 million has been transferred to the Cobell Education Scholarship Fund. The Scholarship Fund was authorized by the historic Cobell Settlement and provides financial assistance through annual scholarships to American Indian and Alaska Native students wishing to pursue post-secondary education and training.

The American Indian College Fund (the College Fund) administers the Scholarship Fund and has extensive experience in providing students the resources to succeed in tribal colleges, technical and vocational certifications, and traditional undergraduate and graduate programs. Twenty percent of the Fund’s portfolio will be directed to support graduate students through the American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC).

“This funding for the Cobell Education Scholarship Fund will help open doors for the next generation of Native American leaders through higher education,” said Interior Solicitor Hilary Tompkins, who negotiated the Cobell Settlement on behalf of the Department of the Interior. “This Fund is an important tool to help students across Indian Country to pursue their dreams and have success in the 21st Century workplace.”

Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, said, “The American Indian College Fund is thrilled with the news that these resources are being forwarded to support Native student scholarships. Thanks to the Cobell Education Scholarship Fund, current and future generations of Native college students will have the financial ability to obtain a higher education, helping to give them, their families, and entire communities a better future.”

Sam Deloria, Director of AIGC, said, “We are grateful to all involved for the opportunity to administer the graduate portion of the Cobell Scholarship program and enable countless Native students to pursue post-graduate education. The rapidly-increasing cost of higher education makes this program even more important, and we are eager to begin its implementation.”

The Cobell Education Scholarship Fund is funded in part by the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations (Buy-Back Program). The Buy-Back Program was created to implement the land consolidation component of the Cobell Settlement, which provided $1.9 billion to purchase fractionated interests in trust or restricted land from willing landowners. Consolidated interests are transferred to tribal government ownership for uses benefiting the reservation community and tribal members.

Interior makes quarterly transfers from Buy-Back Program sales – up to $60 million – to the Cobell Education Scholarship Fund based on a formula in the Cobell Settlement that sets aside a certain amount of funding depending on the value of the fractionated interest sold. These contributions do not reduce the amount that an owner will receive for voluntarily consolidating their interests.

More information about the Cobell Education Scholarship Program can be found at the American Indian College Fund website, www.cobellscholarships.org

To date, the Buy-Back Program has sent more than 33,000 purchase offers to owners of fractional interests. The Program has successfully concluded transactions worth over $72 million and has restored the equivalent of more than 203,000 acres of land to tribal ownership.

Offers are currently pending for landowners with fractional interests on the Pine Ridge (deadline: July 21, 2014) and Rosebud Indian Reservations (deadline: August 16, 2014).

Landowners can contact their local Fiduciary Trust Officer or call the Trust Beneficiary Call Center at 888-678-6836 for more information or to register as willing sellers. More information is also available at www.doi.gov/buybackprogram/landowners.

Individual participation in the Buy-Back Program is voluntary. A decision to sell land for restoration to tribes does not impact a landowner’s eligibility to receive individual settlement payments from the Cobell Settlement, which are handled by the Garden City Group.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan and continued commitment to support Native American leaders in building strong, resilient communities, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn today announced the Administration has dedicated nearly $10 million this year to help tribes prepare for climate change through adaptation and mitigation. The Tribal Climate Resilience Program, which will be announced today at the fourth and final meeting of the White House State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, is part of a new initiative to work toward addressing the impacts of climate change already affecting tribal communities.

“From the Everglades to the Great Lakes to Alaska and everywhere in between, climate change is a leading threat to natural and cultural resources across America, and tribal communities are often the hardest hit by severe weather events such as droughts, floods and wildfires,” said Secretary Jewell, chair of the White House Council on Native American Affairs. “Building on the President’s commitment to tribal leaders, the partnership announced today will help tribal nations prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change on their land and natural resources.”

“Impacts of climate change are increasingly evident for American Indian and Alaska Native communities and, in some cases, threaten the ability of tribal nations to carry on their cultural traditions and beliefs,” said Assistant Secretary Washburn. “We have heard directly from Tribes about climate change and how it dramatically affects their communities, many of which face extreme poverty as well as economic development and infrastructure challenges. These impacts test their ability to protect and preserve their land and water for future generations. We are committed to providing the means and measures to help tribes in their efforts to protect and mitigate the effects of climate change on their land and natural resources.”

The Program will offer funding for tribes and tribal consortia and organizations to develop science-based information and tools to enable adaptive resource management, as well as the ability to plan for climate resilience. The program will offer nationwide climate adaptation planning sessions and provide funding for tribal engagement and outreach within regional and national climate communities.

Support will also be provided to empower and educate youth to become leaders in tribal climate change adaptation and planning, and enable them to participate in leadership and climate conferences, as well as independent research projects.

The Program will provide direct support through climate adaptation grants that will be awarded in four categories: development and delivery of climate adaptation training; adaptation planning, vulnerability assessments and monitoring; capacity building through travel support for climate change training, technical sessions, and cooperative management forums; and travel support for participation in ocean and coastal planning.

To further the President’s commitment, as part of an Administration-wide Tribal Climate Resilience Initiative, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy will establish an interagency subgroup on climate change under the White House Council on Native American Affairs. The subgroup will work with tribes to collect and share data and information, including traditional ecological knowledge, about climate change effects that are relevant to American Indian Tribes and Alaska Natives. The subgroup will also identify opportunities for the federal government to improve collaboration and assist with climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.

“Tribes are at the forefront of many climate issues, so we are excited to work in a more crosscutting way to help address tribal climate needs,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “We’ve heard from tribal leaders loud and clear: when the federal family combines its efforts, we get better results - and nowhere are these results needed more than in the fight against climate change.”

The Interior Department will also establish a tribal climate liaison to coordinate with tribes across the federal government and help ensure tribal engagement in climate conversations at the federal level. In addition, five tribal Climate Extension Support Liaisons will be placed in the Department of the Interior’s Climate Science Centers, while building tribal capacity by contracting the positions to tribal organizations to ensure strong ties to tribal practitioners. These liaisons will work at the regional level with tribes to identify basic climate information and knowledge needs of tribes and work with other federal partners to address those needs. Tactics will include forming national tribal climate-focused practitioner working groups, supporting tribal workshops, and addressing regional training needs for specific impacts.

Funding Opportunity Part of Bureau of Indian Education’s implementation of American Indian Education Study Group’s “Blueprint for Reform;” Sovereignty in Indian Education grants will promote tribal self-determination in education through tribal control of BIE-funded schools

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of the Obama Administration’s historic commitment to ensure that all students attending Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools receive an effective education delivered to them by tribes, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced that the BIE will fund $2.5 million in Sovereignty in Indian Education competitive grants. The purpose of these grants is to provide funding to federally recognized tribes and their tribal education departments to promote tribal control and operation of BIE-funded schools on their reservations.

In 2013, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan convened the American Indian Education Study Group to propose a comprehensive reform plan to ensure that all students attending BIE-funded schools receive a quality education. Based on listening sessions held throughout Indian Country, the Study Group issued a Blueprint for Reform on June 13, 2014. The Blueprint recommends that BIE support tribal nations in their efforts to assume control over BIE-funded schools.

“We believe strongly that American Indian children deserve an academically rigorous, culturally appropriate education. Beyond providing the skills to succeed economically, honoring tribal cultures and languages is vital to the longevity of tribal traditions, identity and self-confidence,” said Secretary Jewell. “Increasing tribal control over BIE schools recognizes the sovereign status of tribes, provides them with greater discretion in determining what their children should learn and helps increase accountability throughout the BIE-funded school system. This grant program is one small step towards an important process of supporting more effective and relevant education for American Indian children, with more to come.”

“The American Indian Education Study Group made serious recommendations for improving how federal education services and resources are delivered in Indian Country, and the Sovereignty in Indian Education grant program responds to their concerns,” said Assistant Secretary Washburn.

“With greater tribal control of schools, tribes have more power to infuse schools with tribal cultural values and native languages, both of which can engage children better and help them to succeed.”

The purpose of the Sovereignty in Indian Education grants is to support tribal capacity to fully manage and operate tribally controlled, BIE-funded schools in their communities. Grant funds will support development of a tribal school reform plan with the goals of improved educational outcomes for students and improved efficiencies and effectiveness in operating the schools.

Furthermore, by unifying a collective body of tribes, this initiative will build a collaborative network to support tribal control and stronger partnerships with BIE-funded schools.

Tribal control of federally funded government programs often improves local service delivery because tribal governments understand the needs of their communities and are more likely to be held accountable for results by their constituents. The Department of the Interior fully supports tribes’ sovereign right to determine the structure of their own tribal governments and school systems, and seeks to strengthen that support by facilitating the sharing of information on efficient and successful school structures.

“As tribal control of education is a vital part of self-determination and self-governance, the Bureau of Indian Education is strongly committed to ensuring that tribal sovereignty over education is encouraged, supported and strengthened wherever and whenever possible,” said BIE Director Dr. Charles M. “Monty” Roessel. “Sovereignty in Indian Education grants will assist those tribes seeking to assume operational control over the BIE-funded schools that serve them and those working to develop and build their tribal school systems around BIE schools.”

As part of the program, BIE will provide tribes with technical assistance in planning and implementing assessment and implementation plans and in strengthening tribally controlled school processes. It also will provide a forum for tribes to work collaboratively with each other to gain insights and develop or share tribal and BIE problem-solving strategies.

Grant awards will range from $100,000 to $200,000 per fiscal year depending on the number of schools involved, number of students, complexity of creating a new tribally managed school system and a tribe’s technical approach. Eligible applicants include tribal education departments that have three or more BIE-funded schools on their reservations. The deadline for applications is Sept. 12, 2014.

In addition to today’s grant funding announcement, BIE will hold two pre-grant training workshops on Aug. 4 in Rapid City, S.D., and Aug. 6 in Phoenix, Ariz. View details about Sovereignty in Indian Education grants.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn today announced an extension of the public comment period and additional tribal consultations and public meetings on proposed regulations to reform the process by which Interior formally and officially recognizes Indian tribes.

Due to significant public comments and interest, the comment period deadline has been extended by 60 days. Two additional tribal consultations will be held via teleconference on August 18th and 20th for tribal leaders, their representatives and staff. Two additional public meetings will be held via teleconference on September 3rd and 5th. Written comments may now be submitted through September 30, 2014.

"With this extended comment period, the Department is providing more opportunities for comment and suggestions from tribes and the public than any other rule issued by Indian Affairs during this Administration,” said Assistant Secretary Washburn. “Input from tribes, including the 17 that have been recognized under the regulations, states, local governments, the public and non-federally recognized tribes will result in a better final rule.”

The existing regulations governing federal recognition of Indian tribes were originally adopted in 1978 and updated only once 20 years ago. Prior to 1978, the Department of the Interior addressed requests for acknowledgment on a case-by-case basis. While the regulations established a structured procedure for evaluating federal acknowledgment (“the Part 83 process”), this system has been widely criticized as being too time-consuming, sometimes arbitrary and generally “broken.”

This proposed rule to reform the 35-year old process, released for public comment on May 22, 2014 would make the procedure more transparent, efficient, timely, and flexible, while maintaining the integrity of the process. Some key features of the proposed rule are that it would promote transparency by updating the Part 83 criteria to include objective standards, promote efficiency by requiring a petitioner to show community and political influence/authority from 1934 to the present rather than from as early as 1789, and eliminate the need for a petitioner to demonstrate that third parties identified the petitioner as a tribe from 1900 to the present. The proposed rule would also make changes to the petitioning process that facilitate the timely issuance of proposed findings and final determinations and allows for an administrative judge to conduct a comprehensive hearing and review of a negative proposed finding.

In recognition of the high level of interest in the acknowledgement process, the Department has used a transparent approach and significant outreach effort. The Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has been conducting tribal consultations and public meetings on the proposed rule in the South, Pacific, Northwest, Midwest, California and the Rocky Mountain Regions. A public meeting will be held on July 29th from 8:30 am to noon EDT and the tribal consultation will be held on July 29th from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm EDT at the Mashpee Wampanoag Facility, Mashpee, MA.

Newly announced additional tribal consultations will be held by conference call on August 18th and 20th from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm EDT at the following number: 1-888-323-4307. Use participant passcode 4823348. Tribal consultations are open only to representatives of federally recognized Indian tribes.

And, the new additional public meetings will be held by conference call on September 3rd and 5th from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm EDT at the following number: 1-888-323-4307. Also use participant passcode 4823348. Public meetings are open to everyone. Transcripts of all tribal consultations and public meetings will be posted on the Indian Affairs website.

The Office of Indian Affairs has established a website, where the public can access the proposed rule, a frequently asked questions (FAQs) document, and other information at: http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/ORM/83revise/index.htm

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to promote strong, prosperous and resilient communities, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will visit the Beatrice Rafferty School in Perry, Maine on Monday to discuss ongoing educational reform initiatives to ensure students attending schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) receive a high quality education delivered by tribal nations.

Beatrice Rafferty School, located on the Passamaquoddy Tribal Reservation of Pleasant Point, serves about 100 students, most of whom are American Indians. The K-8 school is partially funded by the BIE and operated by the Tribe under contract. Jewell and Duncan will tour the school to see first-hand the need for additional funding for replacement school construction and will meet with school officials, teachers and students to better understand the shared challenges in delivering educational services.

In 2013, Jewell and Duncan convened an American Indian Education Study Group to assess systemic issues within BIE-funded schools – one of the lowest performing set of schools in the country – and to propose a comprehensive plan for reform to ensure all students attending BIE-funded schools receive high quality education.

The Secretaries’ visit builds on a recent Interior Department Secretarial Order to restructure and redesign the BIE over the next two school years, transforming the agency from a sole provider of education into a capacity-builder and service-provider to tribes with BIE-funded schools.

On Tuesday, Secretary Jewell will visit a second BIE-grant school, with a trip to the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School on the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe reservation in Bena, Minnesota. Originally built to house an auto mechanic school and bus garage, the facility was converted into a high school in 1984. The deteriorating building, which serves almost 200 students K-12, has multiple safety and security concerns.

Monday, August 18, 2014

WHO:

• Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education
• James Kvaal, Deputy Director, U.S. Domestic Policy Council
• Chellie Pingree, U.S. Representative
• Monty Roessel, Director, Bureau of Indian Education
• Reuben Clayton Cleaves, Chief, Passamaquoddy Tribe of Pleasant Point
• Ron Jenkins, BIE Superintendent
• Mike Chadwick, Beatrice Rafferty Principal

WHAT: Secretarial visit to the Beatrice Rafferty School in Perry, Maine

WHEN: Monday, August 18, 2014 at 3 pm EDT Note: There will be a media availability immediately after the school tour concludes

WHERE: Beatrice Rafferty School 22 Bayview Drive Perry, Maine

RSVP: Media interested in attending the school tour and media availability are encouraged to RSVP here by 5 pm EDT on Sunday, August 17.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

WHO:

• Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior
• Kevin Washburn, Assistant Secretary, Indian Affairs
• Carri Jones, Chairwoman of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
• Crystal Redgrave, Superintendent of the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School

WHAT: Secretarial visit to Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in Bena, Minnesota

WHEN: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 at 3 pm CDT

WHERE: Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School 15353 Silver Eagle Drive Northwest Chippewa National Forest Bena, Minnesota

RSVP: Media interested in attending the school tour and media availability are encouraged to RSVP here by 5 pm CDT on Monday, August 18.

WASHINGTON – Following President Obama’s State of the Union address, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell will travel to Indian Country with stops in Arizona and New Mexico. Secretary Jewell will mark continued progress in the transformation of the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school process and make an historic announcement on the restoration of tribal homelands.

In Arizona on Thursday, January 14, Jewell will visit the BIE-funded Cove Day School on the Navajo Reservation to help highlight the President’s work to better serve Native youth and mark recent budget gains for the benefit of school construction and maintenance. Secretary Jewell will be joined by acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Lawrence S. Roberts and BIE Director Dr. Charles “Monty” Roessel. The visit is part of the President’s Generation Indigenous (“Gen I”) initiative to remove barriers standing between Native youth and opportunities to succeed. It also builds upon the White House Rural Council’s efforts to reduce rural child poverty.

On Friday, January 15, Jewell and Roberts, as well as Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Michael Black, will join tribal leaders of the Pueblo of Isleta in New Mexico to announce the largest number of acres accepted in trust in a single application. This is part of the Obama Administration’s goal of restoring tribal homelands and supporting economic development opportunities across Indian Country.

Cove Day School Visit

WHO: Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Lawrence S. Roberts, Acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Dr. Charles ‘Monty’ Roessel, Director, Bureau of Indian Education Dr. Leo Johnson, Principal, Cove Day School LoDonna Begay, Business Manager, Cove Day School

WHAT: Visit to Cove Day School

WHEN: Thursday, January 14, 2016 10:15 a.m. MST – Media check-in

10:30 a.m. MST – Cove Day School tour begins

WHERE: Cove Day School Highway 13 Red Valley, AZ 86544

MEDIA: Credentialed members of the media are encouraged to RSVP here.

Pueblo of Isleta Signing Ceremony

WHO: Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior

Lawrence S. Roberts, Acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs

Michael Black, Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs

Tom Udall, U.S. Senator, New Mexico

E. Paul Torres, Governor, Pueblo of Isleta

WHAT: Pueblo of Isleta land into trust announcement, signing ceremony

WHEN: Friday, January 15, 2016 11:15 a.m. MST – Media check-in 11:30 a.m. MST – Signing ceremony followed by a brief media availability

WHERE: Pueblo of Isleta Old Courthouse 51 Tribal Road 35 Isleta, NM 87022

MEDIA: Credentialed members of the media are encouraged to RSVP here.