OPA

WASHINGTON – Acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Lawrence S. Roberts announced today the 10 Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools eligible for funding for campus-wide replacement. Publication of this list completes the process for identifying the Department’s top priority schools for campus-wide replacement developed through negotiated rulemaking required by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

The School Facilities & Construction Negotiated Rulemaking Committee established under the NCLB to develop a formula for the equitable distribution of funds to address the poor condition of many BIE-funded schools. This process included input from experts on facilities and management from within the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Deputy Assistant Secretary – Management (DAS-M) for Indian Affairs. In addition, several tribal consultations on the school construction list provided guidance in creating a process for identifying the schools in most need of replacement.

“Providing access to a quality education is a priority for this Administration,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Roberts. “Release of this school replacement list identifies academic facilities in the poorest condition that need to be replaced, and will begin to address the crisis we currently face with regard to the condition of our schools. The Department appreciates Congress’s bipartisan support for improving Indian education and the condition of BIE schools.”

The extensive review and selection process included an examination of all BIE funded schools. The National Review Committee determined eligibility for campus-wide school replacement based on factors as proposed in the NCLB Negotiated Rulemaking report: School facilities having an overall Facility Condition Index (FCI) rating of “poor,” and/or are 50 years or older and educating 75 percent or more of the students in portables. Based on these criteria, 78 BIE-funded were eligible to be considered for campus replacement. Schools meeting the eligibility requirements were invited to submit an application to be reviewed and scored by the NRC with representatives from each of the BIE Regions with eligible schools. Of the 78 eligible schools, 53 submitted an application for replacement.

The purpose of campus replacement funding is to provide planning, design, and construction for campus-wide school replacement. The order of school replacement will be determined by the overall condition of each school and its “shovel-readiness.” In the coming weeks, Indian Affairs will prioritize the schools based on when each school completes the planning process.

In addition to the School Replacement Program, the Department will provide funding to replace the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig High School in Bena, Minn., through the Facility Component Replacement Program. This program, which differs from the School Replacement Program, received funding for the first time since 2011 when Congress appropriated $11.9 million in FY 2016 to replace individual buildings, and will support replacement of individual facilities that do not meet standards necessary for an effective education system but may not qualify for full campus replacement. Not originally designed or constructed to house a high school, the BIE-funded Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School serves as an example of an individual structure that requires replacement to address safety and educational needs.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs supports the Secretary of the Interior in carrying out the Department’s responsibilities to the federally recognized tribes through BIA and BIE programs and services. The BIA’s mission includes developing and protecting Indian trust lands and natural and energy resources; supporting social welfare, public safety and justice in tribal communities; and promoting tribal self-determination and self-governance. For more information, visit www.indianaffairs.gov. The BIE implements federal Indian education programs and funds 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools (of which two-thirds are tribally operated) located on 64 reservations in 23 states and peripheral dormitories serving over 40,000 students. BIE also operates two post-secondary schools, and administers grants for 28 tribally controlled colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges, and provides higher education scholarships to Native youth. For more information, visit www.bie.edu.

WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior today announced that an additional $4.8 million has been transferred to the Cobell Education Scholarship Fund (Scholarship Fund), bringing the total amount contributed so far to almost $39 million. The Scholarship Fund – funded in part by the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations (Buy-Back Program) and authorized by the Cobell Settlement – provides financial assistance through scholarships to American Indian and Alaska Native students wishing to pursue post-secondary and graduate education and training.

The Scholarship Fund is managed and overseen by the Cobell Board of Trustees and will be administered this coming academic year by Indigenous Education, Inc., a non-profit corporation expressly created to administer the scholarship program. During the Scholarship Fund’s inaugural year, approximately $2 million was awarded in graduate and undergraduate scholarships to nearly 400 highly qualified American Indian students. Applications and information concerning scholarships can be found at www.cobellscholar.org.

“This scholarship fund is opening doors for Native American students across Indian Country to pursue their dreams in the 21st Century workplace, and prepare themselves for leadership through higher education,” said Interior Solicitor Hilary Tompkins, who negotiated the Cobell Settlement on behalf of the Department of the Interior. “The program carries out the vision of Elouise Cobell to enhance lifetime opportunities for American Indians and Alaskan Native students and is key to advancing self-determination for tribal nations.”

Alex Pearl, Chairman of the Cobell Board of Trustees, said: "The Cobell Board of Trustees is committed to carrying on the legacy of Elouise Cobell. Our focus is on the prudent investment and management of our funds so that generations to come may benefit from Elouise's leadership and courage. We are excited to continue developing a first-rate 21st century scholarship program responsive to the needs of individual Indians. As was the case for Elouise, this fund focuses on individual Indians, not tribal governments, and enhancing the educational opportunities available to them throughout their academic careers."

The Buy-Back Program has thus far paid more than $740 million to individual landowners and restored the equivalent of nearly 1.5 million acres of land to tribal governments. Interior makes quarterly transfers to the Scholarship Fund as a result of Program sales, up to a total of $60 million. The amount contributed is based on a formula set forth in the Cobell Settlement that sets aside a certain amount of funding depending on the value of the fractionated interests sold. These contributions do not reduce the amount that an owner will receive.

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.

More than 500 tribal leaders and landowners attended the Buy-Back Program’s third Listening Session on March 3, 2016, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Interior Deputy Secretary Michael L. Connor, Special Trustee for American Indians Vince Logan, and Acting Assistant Secretary Indian Affairs Larry Roberts heard directly from tribal communities about how the Program can best be implemented across Indian Country. Materials from the Listening Session, including a transcript and presentations can be found at: https://www.doi.gov/buybackprogram/about/pastpresentations.

Landowners can contact the Trust Beneficiary Call Center at 888-678-6836 or visit their local Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians (OST) to update their contact information, ask questions about their land or purchase offers, and learn about financial planning resources.

More information and detailed frequently asked questions are available at http://www.doi.gov/buybackprogram to help individuals make informed decisions about their land. These include questions and issues raised at the most recent Listening Session

WASHINGTON – Acting Bureau of Indian Education Director Ann Marie Bledsoe Downes will address the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute’s (SIPI) graduating class of 2016 at a commencement ceremony on Friday, April 15, at the SIPI campus in Albuquerque, N.M.

Established in 1971 at the request of the 19 Pueblo tribes in New Mexico and other federally recognized tribes to help train American Indians and Alaska Natives for employment, SIPI is a National Indian Community College and Land Grant Institution with a national, tribally appointed board of regents.

SIPI provides career technical training and transfer degree programs to students from the nation’s 567 federally recognized tribes. It offers competitive job training programs; grants Associate of Applied Science, Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees; and provides opportunities for students to transfer into four-year degree programs. For more information, visit www.sipi.edu.

WHO: Ann Marie Bledsoe Downs, Acting Director, Bureau of Indian Education, DOI

WHAT: Acting BIE Director Bledsoe Downes will address SIPI’s 2016 graduating class at a commencement ceremony in the SIPI Gymnasium on its campus in Albuquerque, N.M. WHEN: Friday, April 15, 2016, starting at 10:00 a.m. MDT.

WHERE: Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute Gymnasium, 9169 Coors Blvd. N.W., Albuquerque, N.M. 87120. Phone: 800-586-SIPI (7474).

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

WASHINGTON – Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Lawrence S. Roberts announced today the availability of approximately $9.1 million for three funding opportunities for federally recognized Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, Alaska Native regional or village corporations, authorized tribal organizations, and Tribal Energy Resource Development Organizations.

Eligible applicants may submit proposals this year for separate funding awards from the following programs: the Tribal Energy Development Capability Program (TEDC), the Energy and Mineral Development Program (EMDP), and the Economic Development Feasibility Study Program.

“Our office has never before offered simultaneously such a variety of technical assistance tools to help tribes identify and monetize the value of their energy and mineral resources, expand their ability to manage their energy resources, and test the viability of economic development proposals,” said Roberts.

The Tribal Energy Development Capability Program and Energy and Mineral Development Program awards will be made based on tribal proposals either as a direct service to tribes or pursuant to the Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act through Public Law 93- 638 contracts or self-governance compacts. The Economic Development Feasibility Study Program awards will also be made based on tribal proposals, but funding will be disbursed in the form of discretionary grants.

The Assistant Secretary- Indian Affairs’ Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) is administering funding for the Energy and Mineral Development Program (EMDP), the Tribal Energy Development Capacity program (TEDC), and the Native American Business Development Institute (NABDI) feasibility study program.

Tribes, Alaska Native villages, Alaska Native regional or village corporations, authorized tribal organizations, and Tribal Energy Resource Development Organizations are eligible for funding under the TEDC and NABDI programs. However, only tribes, tribal organizations, and Tribal Energy Resource Development Organizations are eligible to submit proposals for the EMDP because the program focuses on Indian trust land.

Tribal Energy Development Capability (TEDC) Program: $1.5 million

These awards are intended to complement the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership (HEARTH) Act (25 U.S.C. § 415), which restores the authority of tribes to develop and implement tribal laws governing the leasing of tribal surface trust lands for business and other purposes.

The funds under this program are intended to enable eligible recipients to take advantage of the opportunity for self-determination afforded by the HEARTH Act by building capacity through the establishment of organizational structure(s) and/or business entity structure(s) capable of engaging in commercial energy development or management activities.

The awards will also support tribal development or enhancement of key regulatory activities, assisting tribes which seek to enter into Tribal Energy Resource Agreements (TERAs) pursuant to Title V, Section 503 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58). TERAs are agreements between tribes and the Secretary of the Interior that allow a tribe to enter into leases, business agreements, and rights-of-way for energy resource development on tribal lands without further review and approval by the Secretary.

Energy and Mineral Development Program (EMDP): $7.0 million

These awards are for projects that assess, evaluate, or otherwise promote the processing, use, or development of energy and mineral resources on Indian lands, particularly feasibility studies of community-scale energy development projects that promote local economic benefits and stronger tribal economies.

Economic Development Feasibility Study Program: $650,000

These awards are for feasibility studies that concern the viability of an economic development project, opportunity, enterprise, or business or the practicality of a technology a tribe may choose to pursue. Feasibility studies may be used to determine the likelihood of success for businesses in specific American Indian and Alaska Native communities. They can also be used to examine the credibility of a project promoter and claims made regarding a specific project.

“The TEDC program will complement the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership (HEARTH) Act, which restores the authority of tribes to develop and implement tribal laws governing the leasing of tribal surface trust lands for business and other purposes,” Roberts noted.

The EMDP program will, he said, “enable tribes to obtain the best information available about the quality, quantity, and value of their energy and mineral assets,” while the NABDI program will “equip tribes to distinguish promising economic development proposals from those destined to fail.”

Roberts also noted that feasibility studies conducted by credentialed, disinterested third parties often satisfy the due diligence requirements of lenders and can frequently be leveraged to obtain grants from other federal agencies.

More information about the importance of economic development feasibility studies can be found at IEED’s online “Economic Development Principles-at-a-Glance” series.

Detailed instructions for submitting proposals for all three programs can be found at Grants.gov or:

• http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html?keywords=TEDC
• http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html?keywords=EMDP
• http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html?keywords=NABDI

Proposals for all three programs must be submitted by 9:00 p.m. EDT on July 8, 2016.

Questions regarding these funding opportunities can be addressed to Jack Stevens, Acting Director, Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development, at jack.stevens@bia.gov or at (202) 208-6764.

WASHINGTON – Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Director Michael S. Black will deliver the keynote address at the 25th Annual Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service being held Thursday, May 5, 2016, at the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Indian Police Academy in Artesia, N.M. He will be accompanied by BIA Office of Justice Services Deputy Bureau Director Darren Cruzan.

The service honors tribal, state, local and federal law enforcement officers working on federal Indian lands and in tribal communities who have given their lives in the line of duty, and is the occasion when the names of officers who will be added to the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial monument at the academy are formally announced.

This year, three individuals will be added bringing the total number of officers listed on the memorial to 111:

• Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety Officer Alex Kee Yazzie who was killed on March 19, 2015, during a shoot-out with a suspect who had earlier shot at another officer responding to a domestic violence call. The subject had barricaded himself in the house and held his family hostage. The suspect later fled from the officers and was located in a rural area by Officer Yazzie and responding officers.
• On October 6, 2015, Cherokee Indian Police Department Officer Anthony “Tony” Edward Lossiah succumbed to injuries he suffered while assisting a fellow officer in the pursuit of a fleeing suspect. Officer Lossiah’s injuries turned critical, resulting in his death.
• New Mexico State Police Officer Nash Garcia who was killed on March 11, 1952, while pursuing two suspects on the Acoma Indian Reservation in New Mexico. Officer Garcia was ambushed by the suspects.

OJS holds the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service in conjunction with other law enforcement organizations and agencies including the International Association of Chiefs of Police Indian Country Law Enforcement Section, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) in Artesia. The FLETC campus is home to the memorial, service and academy.

The Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was first dedicated on May 7, 1992, at the BIA Indian Police Academy then located in Marana, Ariz. The academy and memorial were later moved to their present site, where the latter was re-dedicated on May 6, 1993.

The memorial’s design is based upon indigenous concepts. Comprised of three granite markers sited within a circular walkway lined with sage, a plant of spiritual significance to many tribes, the memorial includes four planters filled with foliage in colors representing people of all nations. The planters represent the four directions and are located near the walkway’s entrance.

The earliest inscribed name dates back to 1852. In addition to those from BIA and tribal law enforcement, officers listed represent numerous law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Border Patrol, the New Mexico State Police, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Customs Bureau, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The list includes one female officer from the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety who was killed in 1998; a father and son, both BIA officers, who died in 1998 and 2001, respectively; and two FBI agents killed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975.

The 25th Annual Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service will be livestreamed. To view the event, visit http://www.ksvpradio.com/BIA and type in the password “biamemorial.”

WHO: Michael S. Black, Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, DOI Darren Cruzan, Deputy Bureau Director, Office of Justice Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, DOI

WHAT: BIA Director Michael Black will deliver the keynote address at the 25th Annual Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service, where the names of three fallen law enforcement officers will be added to the memorial.

WHEN: Thursday, May 5, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. MDT.

WHERE: BIA Indian Police Academy, DHS Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, 1300 West Richey Avenue, Artesia, N.M. Phone (505) 748-8151 for directions.

CREDENTIALS: This invitation is extended to working media representatives, who are required to display sanctioned media credentials for admittance to the event. Press seating will be provided. Credentialed media covering the event should be in place by 9:45 a.m. for the program beginning at 10:00 a.m.

To view an image of the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and a list of the officers’ names inscribed on it, visit https://www.fletc.gov/indian-country-law-enforcement-officers-memorial.

Albuquerque, NM – This week, prosecutors and special agents from the Office of the Attorney General joined the Bureau of Indian Affairs, tribal law enforcement agencies, service providers and the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women (CSVANW) to combat human trafficking on Native American lands in New Mexico. The working conference, Sex Trafficking in Indian Country, demonstrates the critical importance of federal, state and tribal entities working together with service providers to attack human trafficking and protect victims on tribal lands in New Mexico.

“Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and the perpetrators prey on New Mexico’s most vulnerable populations,” New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas said. “Our partnerships with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, tribal entities, service providers and the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women are key to preventing and prosecuting human trafficking across our state.”

"Human trafficking knows no borders. As such, inter-agency collaboration is vital to our efforts to foster safe and thriving Native communities,” said Lawrence S. Roberts, Acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior. “I want to thank all of our partners for standing with us in addressing this national issue and working proactively to bring perpetrators to justice. Collectively, we will continue to do all we can in collaboration with tribes in New Mexico and across Indian Country to ensure the health and welfare of those communities.”

“Ensuring the safety of our Native women and children in New Mexico is one of our highest priorities at the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women. The issue of sex trafficking of our most vulnerable, our women and children, extend well beyond any jurisdiction and needs to be addressed at all levels. CSVANW is pleased with the level of collaboration and united front that we have established with our state, tribal and federal partners. We are honored to work in partnership with the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General to take meaningful steps together to address and respond to trafficking of our Native women and children in New Mexico,” said Deleana OtherBull, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women.

OtherBull continued, “Combatting trafficking calls for shared responsibility and coordinated action. The past two days of training has been an important opportunity for that kind of collaboration and we must continue to work diligently together. CSVANW remains committed in this work to bring broader awareness about trafficking in our communities and work to ensure the safety of our women and children.”

If you are a victim of human trafficking or would like to report suspected human trafficking, call the Office of the Attorney General’s Special Investigations Division at 1-866-627-3249, text the 505-GET-FREE hotline, The Life Link’s Anti-Human Trafficking Initiative, or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

For more information regarding the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women please visit www.csvanw.org.

Please see the attached photo.

STATE OF NEW MEXICO OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL HECTOR H. BALDERAS ATTORNEY GENERAL

TELEPHONE: (505)827-6000 • FAX: (505)827-5826 • www.nmag.gov

MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. BOX 1508 • SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO 87504-1508

STREET ADDRESS: 408 GALISTEO STREET • SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO 87501

WASHINGTON– Acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Lawrence S. Roberts today announced final, updated measures to protect the rights of Indian children, their parents and their tribes in state child welfare proceedings. The measures, comprised in a final rule announced today, will support the stability and security of Indian families and tribes by providing a more consistent interpretation of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA), regardless of the child welfare worker, judge or state involved.

“The final rule builds upon the work of tribes and states by clarifying the Indian Child Welfare Act’s requirements, promoting consistency in Indian child-placement proceedings, and ensuring that regardless of the state court forum, children and their parents receive the active efforts envisioned by Congress to maintain family and community,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Roberts. “Child welfare workers, state court judges and state agencies deserve clear rules as they work with Native families and tribes to implement the protections of the law. This rule promotes family and community by ensuring that if a Native child has been removed from their home previously, they will have a pathway for reunification with their family.”

Congress enacted IWCA to address the separation of Indian children from their families at a disproportionately high rate, as a result of state agency policies and practices that placed the children in non-Indian foster and adoptive homes. Although ICWA has helped to prevent the wholesale separation of tribal children from their families in many regions of the United States, Native American children are still disproportionately more likely to be removed from their homes and communities than other children. And Indian families continue to be broken up by the removal of their children by nontribal public and private agencies. Based on 2013 data, Native children nationwide are represented in state foster care at a rate 2.5 times greater than their presence in the general population. In some states, Native American children are represented in state foster-care systems at rates as high as 14.8 times their presence in the general population of that state.

Since the enactment of ICWA, state courts and state agencies have sometimes differed in their interpretations of the law and inconsistently implemented the statute. The final rule clarifies the Act’s requirements, often drawing upon approaches already used by states. Many states have enacted state law versions of ICWA that provide additional protections for tribes and Indian families, and this rule does not add more protective standards, but rather establishes minimum federal standards under ICWA and incorporates best practices in child welfare. The rule also promotes judicial collaboration between tribal courts and state courts in the implementation of ICWA.

“ICWA was designed to safeguard Native children from undue separation from their families and cultural identity. This rule will achieve consistent implementation of a law that remains critical to protecting the best interest of Native children and promoting successful Native communities,” said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, who serves as chair of the President’s White House Council on Native American Affairs. “It is in a child's best interest to keep their family intact when it can be done safely, and provide pathways to connect with the child's larger family and community. This rule reflects the highest standards in child welfare.”

Under the rule announced today, state courts in foster-care, termination-of-parental-rights, and adoption proceedings will be required to ask whether the child is an “Indian child” under ICWA, and therefore subject to the law’s procedures. Determining this early in the proceeding maximizes the chances of placing the child with extended family and other preferred placements, thus promoting stability for the child and healthy connections with his or her family and tribe. The rule also provides clarity on the requirement that “active efforts” be provided to maintain or reunite the child with his or her family.

The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence recommended in its November 2014 Report that the Department of the Interior issue regulations to better implement ICWA and promote compliance. The Advisory Committee based its recommendation on hours of testimony regarding the inconsistent application of ICWA’s requirements and lack of compliance.

In developing this final rule, the Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs worked closely with the Children’s Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families, in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Justice to produce a final rule that reflects the expertise of all three agencies. Further, the Interior Department held listening sessions in which commenters urged strengthening ICWA implementation through codification in a new rule. The final rule follows the March 2015 publication of a proposed rule on which the Bureau of Indian Affairs received more than 2,100 written comments. As part of its process of collecting input on the proposed rule, Interior held five public hearings and five tribal consultation sessions across the country in April and May 2015, as well as one public hearing and one tribal consultation by teleconference.

“The number of comments we received on this rule is unprecedented for Indian Affairs,” Acting Assistant Secretary Roberts said. “The final rule reflects the input of tribes, states, organizations and individuals that serve children and families and have substantial expertise in child-welfare practices.”

The final rule will become effective 180 days after its publication in the Federal Register. Within that time, the Bureau will publish revised guidelines to replace the February 24, 2015 Guidelines for State Courts and Agencies in Indian Child Custody Proceedings.

The final regulations can be found at https://www.bia.gov/bia/ois/dhs/icwa. 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, economic development, law enforcement and justice, social services (including child welfare), tribal governance, and trust land and natural and energy resources management programs for the nation’s federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes through 12 regional offices and 81 agencies.

The Office of Indian Services Division of Human Services administers the BIA’s ICWA regulations at 25 CFR Part 23 and the guidelines.

For more information, visit https://www.bia.gov/bia/ois/dhs/icwa.

SPOKANE, WA – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today joined leaders of the Spokane Tribe of Indians in Washington State to commemorate the tribe’s selection as a Promise Zone, which was announced by President Obama on June 6 as part of the third and final round of Promise Zone designations. The competitively-awarded designation provides custom tailored federal support for Spokane tribal leaders to address locally-defined revitalization goals, including creating jobs through investments in renewable energy, housing construction and technology centers, and reducing crime by revising an antiquated law and order code and implementing a community policing strategy, among other strategies.

“By aligning federal programs more efficiently to the priorities set out by tribal leaders, the Promise Zone processes, strategies and innovations can be used to improve how federal agencies engage with tribal and local communities across the country,” said Secretary Jewell, who chairs the White House Council on Native American Affairs. “By partnering with the Spokane Tribe of Indians, we are streamlining resources across agencies to deliver comprehensive support that will provide tribal leaders with the tools they need to control their community’s future.”

Since 2009, the Obama Administration has emphasized evidence-based approaches in assisting high-poverty communities. When the President took office, five federal agencies were working on targeted interagency efforts to address poverty in 38 communities. Today, more than 15 government agencies are executing coordinated efforts in about 1,800 communities nationwide, saving local and federal time and money, improving local capacity and delivering results. The Interior Department is an active participant in many of these programs, including Climate Action Champions, Strong Cities-Strong Communities, My Brother’s Keeper and Promise Zones.

President Obama launched the Promise Zones Initiative in 2014 to address the challenges facing rural and tribal communities by providing tailored assistance based on the specific needs of a community and promoting collaboration between private business and federal, state, tribal and local officials; faith-based and non-profit organizations; and kids and parents.

To date, 13 communities, including two tribal nations, have benefited from their Promise Zones, where the federal government works hand-in-hand with tribal leaders, investing in strategies with proven effectiveness, bringing together a wide range of partners around a common vision for expanding opportunity. Agencies are providing Promise Zones preferential access in 42 programs, and these designations have garnered more than $550 million in federal investments to advance locally-defined goals.

The Spokane Tribe of Indians Promise Zone includes the Spokane Indian Reservation (160,000 acres), and all lands held in trust by the federal government on behalf of the Spokane Tribe. With a commitment to the tribe’s 2,874 citizens, the initiative will help to build a stronger community and strengthen tribal sovereignty. The tribe is battling a 33 percent poverty rate and 25 percent unemployment.

“Our engagement with the initiative enabled us to successfully pilot new strategies for working with tribal governments – and those innovations can benefit every tribe as we learn from this experience and use it to scale up best practices throughout Indian country,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Larry Roberts.

Key local partners include the Spokane Indian Housing Authority, Spokane Tribal Police Department, Make It Right Foundation (Solar Division), Grid Alternatives, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, Minnesota Housing Partnership, Spokane Tribal Enterprises, HUDNwONAP, CATTCOMM, LLC, the Tulalip Tribes, Native Networks, Stevens County, Spokane Tribal College, Salish-Kootenai College, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the Wellpinit School District, the Unico System, and Sovereign Power.

The President’s June 6 announcement also designated the Pride of the Great Plains Promise Zone, which includes two reservations, tribal trust lands, and Rolette County, North Dakota. The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians is leading the partnership. The first five rural and tribal designated Promise Zones were announced on Jan. 9, 2014. The second round of Promise Zones, which selected eight designees, was announced on April 28, 2015. The first two rounds included two tribal nations: the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux Tribe, led by the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation.

WASHINGTON – Acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Lawrence S. Roberts today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ popular publication, the Tribal Leaders Directory, is now available as an electronic searchable map. The map provides up-to-date contact information for the nation’s 567 federally recognized tribes and all BIA regional offices and agencies. The map can be accessed via the bia.gov and indianaffairs.gov websites using the Tribal Leaders Directory link.

“The BIA’s new Tribal Leaders Directory electronic map offers the ability to more quickly find information to reach tribal governments and our field offices,” Roberts said. “With the map’s launch, we are taking another step forward in transforming the BIA into a 21st century service provider for Indian Country.”

The Directory’s new format is a searchable interactive map where users can click on icons to locate tribal governments and BIA offices across the United States. Some of the features of the new map-based Directory allow users to:

• Have actual locations for all points of contact.
• Conduct quick electronic searches of the entire Directory with just a few key strokes.
• Produce mail merge documents with only the information needed.
• Group data visually by BIA regions for creating maps, reports, dashboards, or web pages.
• Access information that is updated more frequently than in the past.
• Download information in .csv, .xml, .json, and MS Excel formats.

The map is accessible via most modern web browsers – Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and Mozilla Firefox – on desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

The BIA Office of Indian Services’ Division of Tribal Government Services is responsible for producing the Tribal Leaders Directory. It works to ensure the accuracy of official tribe and tribal leader names and contact information, as well as contact information for Indian Affairs and BIA officials and regional offices and agencies.

The Directory was initially developed as a reference document to aid BIA employees in their day-to-day work with the tribes. Over the years it became one of the Bureau’s most requested publications, used by federal, tribal, state and local governments, news media, business, researchers, and the general public to connect with tribal governments and the BIA throughout Indian Country.

The BIA developed the Tribal Leaders Directory map using its data to create overlays of its twelve regions onto a Google map of the U.S. Like the print version, the map provides key contact information for all federally recognized tribal governments, as well as for BIA headquarters and regional and agency officials. The BIA will update the information at least once a month, as opposed to the six-month update period for the print version.

The print version of the Directory will no longer be published after the launch. Persons without internet access, however, may request a copy in Excel format from the Division of Tribal Government Services.

The Directory is not the official listing of federally recognized tribes. It should be used in conjunction with the Federal Register Notice of Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible to Receive Services from the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is the official listing of all federally recognized tribes in the United States.

The Acting 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 81 agencies.

The Office of Indian Services Division of Tribal Government Services updates and publishes the Tribal Leaders Directory and the Federal Register notice of federally recognized tribes. For more information about the Tribal Leaders Directory map, or to request a copy in Excel format, contact the Division at 202-513-7641. For general information about the Division of Tribal Government Services, or to access the map or the most recent Federal Register notice, visit http://www.indianaffairs.gov/WhoWeAre/BIA/OIS/TribalGovernmentServices/index.htm.

WASHINGTON – Today, the director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Michael S. Black, announced that the BIA is publishing a final rule intended to officially reinstate to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) the correct operative version of 25 CFR Part 226—Leasing of Osage Reservation Lands for Oil and Gas Mining.

On May 11, 2015, the BIA published a final rule revising 25 CFR Part 226. That revised rule never became effective. In connection with then-pending litigation, the BIA initially delayed the effective date of the rule. On August 10, 2015, the court enjoined the rule and on November 19, 2015, the court entered BIA’s voluntary remand of the rule to the agency for further consideration. Accordingly, the version of 25 CFR Part 226 published in the April 1, 2015, edition of the CFR has remained in effect, thus today’s publication has no substantive impact.

Visit https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/06/17/2016-14127/leasing-of-osagereservation-lands-for-oil-and-gas-mining for additional information about the final rule.