A meeting with senior Clinton Administration officials and 106 tribal leaders on April 28 marked the one-year anniversary of the historic meeting with tribal leaders and President Clinton. This year's meeting focused on progress and accomplishments being made department-by-department in Indian affairs. The White House Domestic Policy Council released a 67-page report entitled One Year Later: A Clinton Administration Progress Report to the Federally Recognized Tribal Nations One Year after the Historic April 29, 1994 Meeting with President Clinton and the Tribal Leaders, detailing the work completed thus far.
Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt led the meeting with his report to the tribes describing the recent formation of the Domestic Policy Council's Working Group on American Indians and Alaska Natives. The working group, which Babbitt chairs, is intended not only to further strengthen relations between tribes and the federal government, but to facilitate coordination among departments on Indian policy matters. Babbitt also reported on a second priority of the working group, religious freedom. A proposed executive order currently is being drafted. Babbitt encouraged the tribes to comment on and support the order.
Babbitt told tribal leaders that executive order draft, on access to and protection of sacred sites, will be developed by the Interior Department. The order could direct federal land managers to notify, consult with, and accommodate tribes whenever federal activities might change or affect access to sacred sites. Babbitt updated the group on the 1994 presidential memorandum on eagle feather and parts. The Department of the Interior has since established a national repository in Denver, CO, to supply tribal religious leaders with eagle feathers and parts needed for traditional religious ceremonies. A presidential memorandum signed one year ago required this action
Babbitt also reported that since the National American Indian Listening Conference held last May in Albuquerque, N. M., he has met with more than 200 tribes to continue the dialogue with tribal leaders and plans to visit at least four other states to meet with federally recognized tribes on their concerns.
Office of Management and Budget Director Alice Rivlin told tribal leaders that the current Federal budget reflects ''a strong shift to tribal priority programs" as well as an overall 17-percent increase in Indian program funding since the Administration began. "We had a much improved consultation process," Rivlin said. "OMB is more involved than ever before." Rivlin answered numerous questions from tribal leaders as did other Administration officials.
Tribal leaders saw a demonstration of one of the working group's first priorities, which is to develop a government-wide consultation process that Federal agencies can incorporate in their dealings with tribes. The new process, called CODETALK, will allow Federal agencies and tribes to communicate and share information via the Internet. U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary David Barrom advised tribal leaders "that anyone going to be successful with organizations and enterprise must be on the information highway." The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration last year awarded a $150,000 grant to the Native American Public Broadcasting Corporation for a demonstration project that eventually will link all tribal nations with the "information superhighway."
Unprecedented progress in meeting with tribes and giving them more control over federal services and functions has been made by the Administration, said Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Ada Deer, who also told tribal leaders that "in the past six months I have met with more of you than many of my predecessors have during their entire tenure. During the short time of this Administration, there has been more consultation with tribes. I've listened and learned. I'm proud of this record and am confident that this Administration has met its trust responsibility to Indian tribes," Deer said.
