DOI Reorganization

On March 13, 2017, President Trump signed the Executive Order 13781 for Federal agencies to examine ways it could reorganize to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability. The Secretary of the Interior recently announced his vision to establish 13 unified regional office boundaries across all the Department's Bureaus.

The Department is taking careful consideration on how the Indian Affairs regions and functions may be included in this reorganization. The Acting Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has announced listening session (see below for listening session information) and formal consultation sessions for your input and to consult on how to implement the principles of efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability in manner to substantially improve services to Tribes and Tribal citizens. The letter announcing the consultation is available here. (Note: The letter dated May 17, 2018 provides the incorrect address for the consultation session on July 24, 2018.) The correct location is provided in the table below and is available in this letter dated May 23, 2018. In addition, at the request of several Tribes, additional consultation sessions have been scheduled in the Great Plains and Northwest regions. (See letter here.)

The DOI Reorganization consultation updated presentation and proposed maps are available here: Presentation on Potential DOI Reorganization (updated 6/14/18) and Maps of Proposed Unified Regions

Comments

The comment period of Saturday, September 22, 2018, has closed.

Consultation Sessions

Date Time (Local) Location Venue
**Listening Session**
Sunday, June 3, 2018

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Kansas City, Missouri
**Listening Session**
NCAI Mid-Year Conference
Marriott Kansas City Downtown
200 W. 12th Street
Kansas City, MO 64105
Tuesday, June 19, 2018 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. New Buffalo, Michigan
Four Winds-New Buffalo Casino
11111 Wilson Road
New Buffalo, MI 49117
Thursday, June 21, 2018 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Billings, Montana
BIA Rocky Mountain Regional Office*
2021 4th Avenue, North
Billings, MT 59101
*Please bring photo identification and allow for time
to go through Security as this is a Federal facility.
Monday, June 25, 2018 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Albuquerque, New Mexico
National Indian Programs Training Center*
1011 Indian School Road, NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
*Please bring photo identification and allow for time
to go through Security as this is a Federal facility.
Thursday, June 28, 2018 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Jackson, California
Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort
12222 New York Ranch Road
Jackson, CA 95642
Tuesday, July 24, 2018 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Banning, California
***Please note this corrected address.***
Morongo Band of Mission Indians Tribal Chambers
12700 Pumarra Road
Banning, CA 92220
*This facility is in a gated community. Please advise the
guard that you are there to attend the consultation
Thursday, August 2, 2018 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Juneau, Alaska
Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall
320 W. Willoughby Avenue
Juneau, AK 99801
Tuesday, August 7, 2018 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Embassy Suites Oklahoma City
1815 South Meridian
Oklahoma City, OK 73108
Thursday, August 9, 2018 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Philadelphia, Mississippi
Pearl River Resort, Golden Moon Hotel & Casino
13541 Hwy 16 W
Philadelphia, MS 39350
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Rapid City, South Dakota
Best Western Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center
2111 N. LaCrosse Street
Rapid City, SD 57701
Thursday, August 23, 2018 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Seattle, Washington
Jackson Federal Building/
North Auditorium
915 2nd Avenue
Seattle, WA 98174
*Please bring photo identification and allow for time
to go through Security as this is a Federal facility.

2017 Listening Sessions

On May 16, 2017, the Acting Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs announced six listening sessions (see DTTL). Another letter was distributed on June 1, 2017, scheduling an additional listening session for Anchorage, AK (see DTTL).

Listening Session Transcripts

Date Location and Transcript
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Portland, OR
Thursday, June 1, 2017
Phoenix, AZ
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Prior Lake, MN
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Rapid City, SD
Monday, June 12, 2017
Uncasville, CT
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Anchorage, AK
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Tulsa, OK

Comments Received from the 2017 Listening Sessions

Comments are posted in the table below are in no particular order.

Dine Bi Olta School Board Association (DBOSBA) Cordova, Stacy Piatt, Megan Kawerak, Inc. Southern Ute Indian Tribe
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Yankton Sioux Tribe Muscogee (Creek) Nation Ramah Navajo School Board, Inc. Morongo Band of Mission Indians
Pala Band of Mission Indians Colorado River Indian Tribes Osage Nation Sitka Tribe of Alaska Ak-Chin Indian Community
Northern Cheyenne Tribe Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Pueblo of Laguna
Oglala Sioux Tribe National Indian Education Association (NIEA) Navajo Nation Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association, Inc. (GPTCA) United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET)
Anonymous Cook Inlet Tribal Council Self-Governance Advisory Committee (SGAC) (dated 7/15/17) Inter-tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes Morongo Band of Mission Indians
SGAC (dated 11/29/17) Ramah Navajo Chapter - Ramah Band of Navajos