Office of Trust Funds Management National Tribal Consultation

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Office of Trust Funds Management National Tribal Consultation

AGENCY: Office of Trust Funds Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Tribal Consultation Meeting--Financial Trust Services

Improvement.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Office of the Special Trustee

(OST), Office of Trust Funds Management (OTFM), will conduct four (4)

consultation meetings with any Indian tribe, band, nation, Individual

Account holders or other organized group or community, including any

Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation as defined in

or established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (85

Stat.688), which is recognized as eligible for the trust programs and

services provided by the United States to Indians because of their

status as Indians.

The purpose is to obtain oral and written comments regarding a

number of options to improve Individual Indian Money (IIM) accounting

and customer service with approximately 300,000 nationwide account

holders. The options were developed by a Tribal/Federal Work Group

which was established to assist OTFM in developing a number of

recommendations to resolve technical and customer service problems. A

number of General Accounting Office (GAO), Office of Management and

Budget (OMB), and Department of Interior (DOI) audits of the IIM

function have concluded that internal controls are inadequate for

controlling receipts and disbursements for this function.

DATES (1996): Four (4) consultation sessions will be conducted:

June 25-27, Tulsa, OK, Adam's Mark Hotel, 100 East 2nd Street,

Tulsa, OK 74103, 918-582-9000.

July 9-11, Phoenix, AZ, The Pointe at Squaw Peak, 7677 North 16th

Street, Phoenix, AZ 85020, 602-997-2626.

July 30-August 1, Portland, OR, Red Lion Columbia River, 1401 N.

Hayden Island Dr., Portland, OR 97217, 503-283-2111.

August 20-22, Bismarck, ND, Holiday Inn, 605 East Broadway,

Bismarck, ND 58501, 701-255-6000.

All sessions will begin at 8:30 am and adjourn at 5:00 pm. Public

attendance may be limited to the space available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Gerard, Program Analyst,

Office of Trust Funds Management, Department of the Interior 505

Marquette NW., Suite 700, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102, telephone

number 505-248-5751 and fax number 505-248-5782.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the consultation meeting is

to provide Indian tribes and individuals an opportunity for

participation in the improvement of IIM customer service. The

anticipated result of the consultation is to ensure that the Department

adheres to the mandates of Pub. Law 103-412, the American Indian Trust

Fund Management Reform Act. Specifically, the Department must ensure

that: (1) IIM funds are deposited on a timely basis; (2) IIM interest

is paid on a timely basis; (3) proper accounting for IIM daily and

annual balances exists; and (4) periodic statements to IIM account

holders will be provided.

All oral and written comments presented by tribes and individual

account holders at the tribal consultation meetings will be recorded,

transcribed and taken into consideration by the agency.

Summaries of the meetings will be available for public inspection

and copying ten days following the meeting.

Dated: May 8, 1996.

Ada E. Deer,

Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 96-12142 Filed 5-14-96; 8:45 am]

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