Department of the Interior Liaisons Bureau of Indian Affairs

Cody Halterman Acting Tribal Operations Specialist (907) 271 – 4009 Cody.halterman@bia.gov

Bureau of Indian Affairs Mission Statement

Promote awareness of tribal governmental responsibilities and processes

Provide tribes with the resources they need to Foster strong and stable tribal governments Exercise their rights as sovereign nations

Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Government Services carries out this

mission by supporting and assisting Indian Tribes in the development and maintenance of strong and stable tribal governments.

Bureau of Indian Affairs What services Tribal Operations provides

Drafting organic documents Informal Reviews Formal Reviews Secretarial Elections Issuance of Section 17 Corporate Charters Assisting in resolving membership concerns Provide knowledge on constitutions, resolutions,

ordinances, and charters

Bureau of Indian Affairs What services Tribal Operations provides

cont. The services a tribe typically requests is

dependent on the structure of the individual tribe IRA Traditional (written or unwritten)

Bureau of Indian Affairs Drafting

Resolutions Ordinances Constitutional Amendments Constitutional Revisions Section 17 Charter

Bureau of Indian Affairs Informal Reviews

A tribe can submit a draft document to the BIA for an informal review To review overall structure and identify any major

items of concern Used to work through draft documents to develop

a final version ready to submit for a formal review

Bureau of Indian Affairs Formal Review

After an informal review has been completed, the tribe can submit the document to the BIA for a formal review

A formal review request must include a resolution to either Conduct a secretarial election, or Issue a corporate charter

Conducted by The BIA Office of the Solicitor

Bureau of Indian Affairs Secretarial Election

Only required for IRA tribes Required to amend or revise an IRA constitution

Amendments are minor in nature and do not alter the basic structure of the document

Revisions occur when the number and extent of proposed amendments are such that they generally alter the nature of the constitution

The BIA and tribe work together to administer, conduct, and certify the election

Bureau of Indian Affairs Issuance of Section 17 Corporate Charters Per Section 17 of the Indian Reorganization Act

of June 18, 1934, 25 U.S.C § 477 Allows the Secretary of the Interior to issue a

Federal Charter of Incorporation to the requesting tribe

The BIA provides drafting, review, and issuance of charters

Bureau of Indian Affairs Assisting in resolving membership concerns Tribal members call in with concerns or questions The BIA helps by answering their questions,

educate about regulations and their tribe’s governmental structure or procedures.

A tribe, as a sovereign nation, has not only the right, but the responsibility, to resolve its own disputes without the interference of the BIA.

Bureau of Indian Affairs Provide knowledge on constitutions, elections,

resolutions, ordinances, and charters Available to assist in answering most questions in

regards to the above e.g.: “My constitution only allows people who live in

the original townsite city limits to become members, but we’ve built housing for the tribe just outside the original city limits. Can those individuals become members or do we need to amend the constitution?”

Bureau of Indian Affairs Conclusion The BIA is here to provide tribes with the

resources they need to foster strong and stable tribal governments in exercising their rights as sovereign nations.

If there are any questions regarding Tribal Operations, please contact the BIA.