Past News Items

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, Kevin Gover, today issued two proposed positive findings concerning petitions for Federal acknowledgment from the Eastern Pequot Indians and the Paucatuck Eastern Pequot Indians, both groups are headquartered in North Stonington, Connecticut.

Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall announced today he is sending Robert E. Vaughan as a personal representative to Alaska to assist in drafting legislation related to Alaska Native land claims against the United States.

Vaughan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior for Public Land Management, will meet with the legislative drafting committee of the Alaska Federation of Natives in Anchorage December 6 and 7.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Acting Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin today announced she has issued a Notice of Proposed Finding whereby she proposes to decline to acknowledge that the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe (petition #81) in Trumbull, Conn., exists as an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law.

The maximum development of Indian economic, industrial and employment potential on a nationwide basis, and the problems involved, will be considered at a meeting sponsored by the Department of ~he Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs in Oklahoma late this month.

Officials from the Bureau's 11 area offices in the Midwest, West and Alaska and the Washington headquarters will meet with business and industrial leaders and representatives of the Economic Development Administration and Small Business Administration.

Denver, CO - The Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service and the Administration for Native Americans are joining forces to hold the first national conference for Native American youth, parents and organizations serving Native American youth. The Youth First: The Future of Indian America Conference will be held on June 2, 3, and 4, 1999 in Denver, Colorado.

Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall announced today the appointment of Lloyd H. New as Superintendent of the Institute of American Indian Arts, a school operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Santa Fe, N. M. New has been the Institute's Arts Director.

His promotion is effective August 13.

I join Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and Attorney General Janet Reno in strongly opposing proposals by some members of Congress to levy taxes on tribal government revenues from gaming and other economic activities. As they noted in a joint letter to U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer, H.R. 325 and H.R. 1554 are contrary to the United States' longstanding protection of tribal self-government and the Federal trust responsibility.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs Robert L. Bennett today announced that two new Indian employment assistance centers will be opened in Oklahoma within the next two weeks.

To be located in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, the centers will serve as adjuncts to the vocational training and job placement services provided through the Bureau's area offices in Muskogee and Anadarko. Referrals to the new centers for services will be made by the Muskogee and Anadarko offices.

On October 11, 1995, the Labor Health and Human Services Committee will consider an amendment introduced by Senator Slade Gorton (R-WA) in Section 30 of the Labor, Health, and Human Services Bill (S. 1221) that will prohibit the Legal Services Corporation from providing legal assistance to Indians, Indian tribes, Native Hawaiians, or Native Hawaiian organizations with respect to litigation that "may effect or infringe on the property rights of another person."

Commissioner of Indian Affairs Morris Thompson announced today that a meeting for Alaska Natives residing outside of Alaska will be held in Seattle, November 19.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss matters pertaining to the establishment of the 13th Regional Corporation by Alaska Natives under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.