OPA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of President Obama’s commitment to fulfilling this nation’s trust responsibilities to American Indians and Alaska Natives, the Office of the Secretary of the Interior will have the Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform participating in a live radio-broadcast talk show on Wednesday, June 13, 2012. The Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform is tasked with moving forward on their comprehensive evaluation of Interior’s management and administration of the nearly $4 billion in trust assets. The Commission is charged with providing recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior at the end of their two-year tenure on how best to improve the Department’s trust management and administration. Building upon the progress made with the historic Cobell Settlement, the Commission will help establish a new era of trust administration, stressing responsive, customer-friendly, accountable and transparent management of these substantial funds and assets. Three of the five members of the Commission will be participating in the live radio-broadcast talk show. Please tune in to the program on-line at www.nativeamericacalling.com.

For more information, please visit: http://www.doi.gov/cobell/commission/index.cfm.

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WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that Bureau of Indian Education Director Keith Moore will be leaving his position at the Department of the Interior. Selected by then-Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk, Director Moore led the nation’s only federal education system for American Indian and Alaska Native students and implemented President Obama’s national initiatives for educational advancement in Indian Country.

“Over the past two years, Keith has provided great leadership and direction for the Bureau of Indian Education, carrying forward President Obama’s programs to improve the lives and quality of education for American Indian and Alaska Native people,” Secretary Salazar said. “He is a dedicated educational administrator and we thank him for his exceptional service to Indian Country and the Nation.”

Moore will be returning to his home state of South Dakota to serve as state director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Following Moore’s departure this month, BIE Chief of Staff Brian Drapeaux will serve as Acting Director until a new Director is named.

Under the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education, the Obama Administration has coordinated federal agency programs to improve educational opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Native students. The Administration has also made strategic investments in Indian education under the American Recovery and Investment Acts, funding significant new school construction and repairs.

“It has been an extremely rewarding experience to lead the Bureau of Indian Education,” Moore said. “I want to thank Secretary Salazar for the opportunity to direct the BIE and to implement initiatives to help improve the lives of thousands of students through the power of education.”

The BIE operates a federal school system for Indian students, overseeing 183 facilities on 64 reservations in 23 states, consisting of 123 grant schools and 3 contract schools controlled by tribes, and 57 schools directly operated by the BIE. About 42,000 students are educated in BIE-funded elementary and secondary schools throughout the country. The BIE implements federal education laws, such as the No Child Left Behind Act.

“Keith was instrumental in establishing a strong partnership with the Department of Education,” Donald “Del” Laverdure, Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs said. “Throughout his tenure he worked hard to give BIE students the opportunity to pursue their dreams and the ability to achieve them.”

In addition, the BIE operates two postsecondary institutions, Haskell Indian Nations University and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute and provides funds for 26 tribal colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges. Federal funding for the education of American Indian students comes from both the Department of the Interior and the Department of Education.

Prior to becoming the BIE director, Moore, who is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, had served since August 2009 as the Chief Diversity Officer at the University of South Dakota. Before that, Moore served as Indian Education Director for the South Dakota State Department of Education.

Moore graduated in 1990 from Northern State University in Aberdeen with a B.S. degree in Health and Physical Education/Social Sciences. He received a M.A. degree in Educational Administration from South Dakota State University - Brookings in 2002 and an Educational Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership from Montana State University in 2009.

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WASHINGTON –Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hold a news media teleconference today to announce a milestone in renewable energy development in Indian Country.

Members of the news media can join the 1:30 pm EDT teleconference by dialing 1-888-790- 1963 and providing the access code INTERIOR

All callers using the above passcode will be placed in listen-only mode. To join the Q&A portion of the meeting, callers are instructed to press *1 on their touch tone phone.

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FLAGSTAFF, AZ —Government-to-government tribal consultation will occur Friday, July 20, 2012 in Arizona regarding a proposal that would help the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) achieve the objectives of President Obama’s Executive Order 13592 concerning improving educational opportunities provided to American Indian and Alaska Native students.

The proposal would allow BIE to utilize an accountability system based on a unitary set of academic standards and assessments in the BIE-funded schools, rather than the current system that is based on 23 states’ standards and assessments. In February 2012, the U.S. Department of Education began granting flexibility waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) to 19 states. Eighteen additional states and the District of Columbia have submitted flexibility waiver requests with decisions expected soon. In exchange for these flexibility waivers the states have agreed to implement bold reforms around standards and accountability, which include raising standards, improving accountability, and generally implementing essential changes to improve teacher effectiveness. The Department of Education’s decision to provide these flexibility waivers followed extensive efforts to work with Congress to amend requirements that the NCLB introduced into the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The ESEA is five years overdue for reauthorization.

More information and materials can be found at: http://www.bie.edu/consultation/index.htm

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services (OJS) will hold the first in a series of six training sessions to improve the trial advocacy skills of tribal court prosecutors, defenders and judges. The July 24-26, 2012 training session will be held in Duluth, Minn., and will focus on domestic violence.

The training is being conducted under the Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Training Program, a joint effort by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice that furthers the mandate of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 (TOLA) to strengthen tribal sovereignty over criminal justice matters on federal Indian lands by strengthening the skills of those who practice within the tribal court system.

The program is the result of a collaborative effort by the OJS and DOJ’s Access to Justice Initiative (AJI) to offer trial advocacy training with courses designed specifically for tribal courts and free training to the judges, public defenders and prosecutors who work in them. Training is provided in three areas – domestic abuse, illegal narcotics and sexual assault on children and adults – with faculty and instructional materials prepared by experts knowledgeable about tribal court issues. The program is unique because it also has training specifically for public defenders.

The remaining sessions will be held August 14-16, 2012, in Durango, Colo.; September 11-13, 2012, in Great Falls, Mont.; October 2-4, 2012, in Seattle, Wash.; October 23-25, 2012, in Chinle, Ariz.; and January 15-17, 2013, in Albuquerque, N.M.

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

-DOI-

Billings, MT - The second consultation on the Buy Indian Act will be held Wednesday, August 15, 2012. The Buy Indian Act provides Indian Affairs with the authority to set-aside procurement contracts for qualified Indian-owned businesses. This proposed rule describes uniform administrative procedures that Indian Affairs will use in all of its locations to encourage procurement of goods and services from eligible Indian economic enterprises, as authorized by the Buy Indian Act.

This rule has been in development for decades. The Bureau proposed this rule in the Federal Register on several prior occasions, but never succeeded in publishing a final rule. In 2010, Indian Affairs distributed a new draft of the rule and held three consultation sessions in preparation for the updated proposed rule.

The current proposed rule incorporates much of the previous consultations. Indian Affairs is committed to finalizing the rule by the end of the calendar year and is seeking written comments on this proposed rule to consultation@bia.gov by September 17, 2012, and/or hopes tribal representatives can attend one of the consultation sessions.

For more information contact: Jonodev Chaudhuri, Office of the Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs, (202) 208–7163; jonodev.chaudhuri@bia.gov; or David Brown, Office of Acquisitions—Indian Affairs, (703) 390–6605, David.Brown@bia.gov.

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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WASHINGTON – The Justice and Interior Departments this week launched a new training seminar for tribal and federal law enforcement on investigating and prosecuting sexual assault cases on tribal lands. More than 75 participants from throughout the United States participated in the three day training course, which began on Monday, August 20, 2012. They included tribal and federal law enforcement officers, prosecutors and victim specialists from 23 tribal nations and 23 states. Topics included law enforcement response, children as victims and witnesses, forensic examinations with adult victims and developing a coordinated community response to sexual assault.

The course, held at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, S.C., was taught by the Justice Department’s National Indian Country Training Coordinator and other nationally recognized subject matter experts including Joanne Archambault; FBI Forensic Interviewer Stephanie Knapp; Jennifer Peirce-Week, Past President of the International Association of Forensic Nurses; and Dr. Barbara Knox, Medical Director of the University of Wisconsin Child Protection Program at the American Family Children’s Hospital.

“It will take committed federal and tribal partnerships and a coordinated response to address the high rates of sexual violence in Indian Country today,” said Leslie A. Hagen, National Indian Country Training Coordinator for the Justice Department’s Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys. “This new training series will help build capacity for tribal and federal law enforcement first responders as well as the tribal and federal prosecutors who can help achieve justice for victims of sexual crimes, and who must also take into careful consideration the needs of victims in native communities.”

“The training program we are launching jointly with the Department of Justice to address the high rates of sexual assault on tribal lands builds on our efforts to reduce violent crime in Indian Country,” said Darren Cruzan, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services. “I want to thank our federal and tribal partners for working with us to develop this comprehensive training program. It is an important part of OJS’s mission to improve public safety in tribal communities, and underscores our commitment to achieving justice for violent crime victims.”

For more information on the national Indian Country training program, contact Leslie A. Hagen at Leslie.Hagen3@usdoj.gov.

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DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE USE THE CONTACTS IN THE MESSAGE OR CALL THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT 202-514-2007.

SEATTLE, WASH. —Government-to-government tribal consultation will occur Tuesday, July 24, 2012 in Seattle regarding a proposal that would help the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) achieve the objectives of President Obama’s Executive Order 13592 concerning improving educational opportunities provided to American Indian and Alaska Native students.

The proposal would empower tribes to exercise greater control over education and reestablish tribal sovereignty through the adoption of Common Core Standards and allow tribally focused standards addressing language, culture and history; moving away from state standards and assessments. Additionally, by allowing BIE to utilize an accountability system based on a unitary set of academic standards and assessments in BIE-funded schools the BIE could move away from the current structure of reporting on 23 states’ standards and assessments.

In February 2012, the U.S. Department of Education began granting flexibility waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Forty-two states have submitted flexibility waiver requests and 19 of those states include BIE schools. In exchange for these flexibility waivers the states have agreed to implement bold reforms around standards and accountability, which include raising standards, improving accountability, and generally implementing essential changes to improve teacher effectiveness. The Department of Education’s decision to provide these flexibility waivers followed extensive efforts to work with Congress to amend requirements that the NCLB introduced into the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The ESEA is five years overdue for reauthorization.

More information and materials can be found at: http://www.bie.edu/consultation/index.htm

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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BISMARCK, N.D. —Government-to-government tribal consultation will occur Friday, July 27, 2012 in Bismarck regarding a proposal that would help the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) achieve the objectives of President Obama’s Executive Order 13592 concerning improving educational opportunities provided to American Indian and Alaska Native students.

The proposal would empower tribes to exercise greater control over education and reestablish tribal sovereignty through the adoption of Common Core Standards and allow tribally focused standards addressing language, culture and history; moving away from state standards and assessments. Additionally, by allowing BIE to utilize an accountability system based on a unitary set of academic standards and assessments in BIE-funded schools the BIE could move away from the current structure of reporting on 23 states’ standards and assessments.

In February 2012, the U.S. Department of Education began granting flexibility waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Forty-two states have submitted flexibility waiver requests and 19 of those states include BIE schools. In exchange for these flexibility waivers the states have agreed to implement bold reforms around standards and accountability, which include raising standards, improving accountability, and generally implementing essential changes to improve teacher effectiveness. The Department of Education’s decision to provide these flexibility waivers followed extensive efforts to work with Congress to amend requirements that the NCLB introduced into the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The ESEA is five years overdue for reauthorization.

More information and materials can be found at: http://www.bie.edu/consultation/index.htm

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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Albuquerque, N.M. — The first of five in a series of listening sessions will begin Monday, August 13, 2012. The Obama Administration recognizes that the protection of sacred sites on federal lands is integral to traditional religious practices, tribal identities and emblematic of sovereign tribal nations. These sacred site listening sessions are intended to assist in developing policies that result in effective, comprehensive and long-lasting federal protection of, and tribal access to, the places that are so important to the fabric and culture of tribal nations.

To address tribal concerns regarding sacred sites issues, Interior will conduct listening sessions on sacred sites in general, as well as knowledge relating to specific sites on Interior-managed tribal trust and other federal lands. The Department will be better equipped to make decisions that are sensitive to the ceremonial use and physical integrity of sacred sites through the benefit of tribal input and views on such matters.

Because many Indian tribes have belief systems that discourage or even prohibit the disclosure of the location or other information about sacred sites and places, Interior will respect tribal requests that information about such locations be kept confidential and only share this information with appropriate agency personnel.

For all those unable to attend any of these listening sessions, please send your input/suggestions by September 21, 2012, via email to consultation@bia.gov or the U.S. Department of the Interior, attn.: Mr. Dion Killsback, Counselor to the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, 1849 C Street, NW, MS 4141-MIB, Washington, DC 20240. Should you have additional questions, Mr. Killsback can be reached at (202) 208-6939.

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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