[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 141 (Monday, October 3, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
        AMERICAN INDIAN TRUST FUND MANAGEMENT REFORM ACT OF 1994

  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4833), to reform the management of Indian Trust Funds, and 
for other purposes as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4833

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``American 
     Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act 
     is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.

              TITLE I--RECOGNITION OF TRUST RESPONSIBILITY

Sec. 101. Affirmative action required.
Sec. 102. Responsibility of Secretary to account for the daily and 
              annual balances of Indian trust funds.
Sec. 103. Payment of interest on individual Indian money accounts.
Sec. 104. Authority for payment of claims for interest owed.

             TITLE II--INDIAN TRUST FUND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Sec. 201. Purpose.
Sec. 202. Voluntary withdrawal from trust funds program.
Sec. 203. Judgment funds.
Sec. 204. Technical assistance.
Sec. 205. Grant program.
Sec. 206. Return of withdrawn funds.
Sec. 207. Savings provision.
Sec. 208. Report to Congress.
Sec. 209. Regulations.

            TITLE III--SPECIAL TRUSTEE FOR AMERICAN INDIANS

Sec. 301. Purposes.
Sec. 302. Office of Special Trustee for American Indians.
Sec. 303. Authorities and functions of the special trustee.
Sec. 304. Reconciliation report.
Sec. 305. Staff and consultants.
Sec. 306. Advisory board.

               TITLE IV--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

Sec. 401. Authorization of appropriations.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       For the purposes of this Act:
       (1) The term ``Special Trustee'' means the Special Trustee 
     for American Indians appointed under section 302.
       (2) The term ``Indian tribe'' means any Indian tribe, band, 
     nation, or other organized group or community, including any 
     Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation as 
     defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Native 
     Claims Settlement Act (85 Stat. 688), which is recognized as 
     eligible for the special programs and services provided by 
     the United States to Indians because of their status as 
     Indians.
       (3) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the 
     Interior.
       (4) The term ``Office'' means the Office of Special Trustee 
     for American Indians established by section 302.
       (5) The term ``Bureau'' means the Bureau of Indian Affairs 
     within the Department of the Interior.
       (6) The term ``Department'' means the Department of the 
     Interior.
              TITLE I--RECOGNITION OF TRUST RESPONSIBILITY

     SEC. 101. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION REQUIRED.

       The first section of the Act of June 24, 1938 (25 U.S.C. 
     162a), is amended by adding at the end the following new 
     subsection:
       ``(d) The Secretary's proper discharge of the trust 
     responsibilities of the United States shall include (but are 
     not limited to) the following:
       ``(1) Providing adequate systems for accounting for and 
     reporting trust fund balances.
       ``(2) Providing adequate controls over receipts and 
     disbursements.
       ``(3) Providing periodic, timely reconciliations to assure 
     the accuracy of accounts.
       ``(4) Determining accurate cash balances.
       ``(5) Preparing and supplying account holders with periodic 
     statements of their account performance and with balances of 
     their account which shall be available on a daily basis.
       ``(6) Establishing consistent, written policies and 
     procedures for trust fund management and accounting.
       ``(7) Providing adequate staffing, supervision, and 
     training for trust fund management and accounting.
       ``(8) Appropriately managing the natural resources located 
     within the boundaries of Indian reservations and trust 
     lands.''.

     SEC. 102. RESPONSIBILITY OF SECRETARY TO ACCOUNT FOR THE 
                   DAILY AND ANNUAL BALANCES OF INDIAN TRUST 
                   FUNDS.

       (a) Requirement to Account.--The Secretary shall account 
     for the daily and annual balance of all funds held in trust 
     by the United States for the benefit of an Indian tribe or an 
     individual Indian which are deposited or invested pursuant to 
     the Act of June 24, 1938 (25 U.S.C. 162a).
       (b) Periodic Statement of Performance.--Not later than 20 
     business days after the close of a calendar quarter, the 
     Secretary shall provide a statement of performance to each 
     Indian tribe and individual with respect to whom funds are 
     deposited or invested pursuant to the Act of June 24, 1938 
     (25 U.S.C. 162a). The statement, for the period concerned, 
     shall identify--
       (1) the source, type, and status of the funds;
       (2) the beginning balance;
       (3) the gains and losses;
       (4) receipts and disbursements; and
       (5) the ending balance.
       (c) Annual Audit.--The Secretary shall cause to be 
     conducted an annual audit on a fiscal year basis of all funds 
     held in trust by the United States for the benefit of an 
     Indian tribe or an individual Indian which are deposited or 
     invested pursuant to the Act of June 24, 1938 (25 U.S.C. 
     162a), and shall include a letter relating to the audit in 
     the first statement of performance provided under subsection 
     (b) after the completion of the audit.

     SEC. 103. PAYMENT OF INTEREST ON INDIVIDUAL INDIAN MONEY 
                   ACCOUNTS.

       (a) Payment of Interest.--The first section of the Act of 
     February 12, 1929 (25 U.S.C. 161a), is amended--
       (1) by striking out ``That all'' and inserting in lieu 
     thereof ``That (a) all''; and
       (2) by adding after subsection (a) (as designated by 
     paragraph (1) of this subsection) the following:
       ``(b) All funds held in trust by the United States and 
     carried in principal accounts on the books of the United 
     States Treasury to the credit of individual Indians shall be 
     invested by the Secretary of the Treasury, at the request of 
     the Secretary of the Interior, in public debt securities with 
     maturities suitable to the needs of the fund involved, as 
     determined by the Secretary of the Interior, and bearing 
     interest at rates determined by the Secretary of the 
     Treasury, taking into consideration current market yields on 
     outstanding marketable obligations of the United States of 
     comparable securities.''.
       (b) Withdrawal Authority.--The second sentence of 
     subsection (a) of the first section of the Act of June 24, 
     1938 (25 U.S.C. 162a) is amended by inserting ``to withdraw 
     from the United States Treasury and'' after ``prescribe,''.
       (c) Technical Correction.--The second subsection (b) of the 
     first section of the Act of June 24, 1938 (25 U.S.C. 162a), 
     as added by section 302 of Public Law 101-644 (104 Stat. 
     4667), is hereby redesignated as subsection (c).
       (d) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
     shall apply to interest earned on amounts deposited or 
     invested on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

     SEC. 104. AUTHORITY FOR PAYMENT OF CLAIMS FOR INTEREST OWED.

       The Secretary shall make payments to an individual Indian 
     in full satisfaction of any claim of such individual for 
     interest on amounts deposited or invested on behalf of such 
     individual before the date of enactment of this Act 
     retroactive to the date that the Secretary began investing 
     individual Indian monies on a regular basis, to the extent 
     that the claim is identified--
       (1) by a reconciliation process of individual Indian money 
     accounts, or
       (2) by the individual and presented to the Secretary with 
     supporting documentation, and is verified by the Secretary 
     pursuant to the Department's policy for addressing 
     accountholder losses.
             TITLE II--INDIAN TRUST FUND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

     SEC. 201. PURPOSE.

       The purpose of this title is to allow tribes an opportunity 
     to manage tribal funds currently held in trust by the United 
     States and managed by the Secretary through the Bureau, that, 
     consistent with the trust responsibility of the United States 
     and the principles of self-determination, will--
       (1) give Indian tribal governments greater control over the 
     management of such trust funds; or
       (2) otherwise demonstrate how the principles of self-
     determination can work with respect to the management of such 
     trust funds, in a manner consistent with the trust 
     responsibility of the United States.

     SEC. 202. VOLUNTARY WITHDRAWAL FROM TRUST FUNDS PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--An Indian tribe may, in accordance with 
     this section, submit a plan to withdraw some or all funds 
     held in trust for such tribe by the United States and managed 
     by the Secretary through the Bureau.
       (b) Approval of Plan.--The Secretary shall approve such 
     plan within 90 days of receipt and when approving the plan, 
     the Secretary shall obtain the advice of the Special Trustee 
     or prior to the appointment of such Special Trustee, the 
     Director of the Office of Trust Fund Management within the 
     Bureau. Such plan shall meet the following conditions:
       (1) Such plan has been approved by the appropriate Indian 
     tribe and is accompanied by a resolution from the tribal 
     governing body approving the plan.
       (2) The Secretary determines such plan to be reasonable 
     after considering all appropriate factors, including (but not 
     limited to) the following:
       (A) The capability and experience of the individuals or 
     institutions that will be managing the trust funds.
       (B) The protection against substantial loss of principal.
       (c) Dissolution of Trust Responsibility.--Beginning on the 
     date funds are withdrawn pursuant to this section, any trust 
     responsibility or liability of the United States with respect 
     to such funds shall cease except as provided for in section 
     207 of this title.

     SEC. 203. JUDGMENT FUNDS.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to approve 
     plans under section 202 of this title for the withdrawal of 
     judgment funds held by the Secretary.
       (b) Limitation.--Only such funds held by the Secretary 
     under the terms of the Indian Judgment Funds Use or 
     Distribution Act (25 U.S.C. 1401) or an Act of Congress which 
     provides for the secretarial management of such judgment 
     funds shall be included in such plans.
       (c) Secretarial Duties.--In approving such plans, the 
     Secretary shall ensure--
       (1) that the purpose and use of the judgment funds 
     identified in the previously approved judgment fund plan will 
     continue to be followed by the Indian tribe in the management 
     of the judgment funds; and
       (2) that only funds held for Indian tribes may be withdrawn 
     and that any funds held for individual tribal members are not 
     to be included in the plan.

     SEC. 204. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

       The Secretary shall--
       (1) directly or by contract, provide Indian tribes with 
     technical assistance in developing, implementing, and 
     managing Indian trust fund investment plans; and
       (2) among other things, ensure that legal, financial, and 
     other expertise of the Department of the Interior has been 
     made fully available in an advisory capacity to the Indian 
     tribes to assist in the development, implementation, and 
     management of investment plans.

     SEC. 205. GRANT PROGRAM.

       (a) General Authority.--The Secretary is authorized to 
     award grants to Indian tribes for the purpose of developing 
     and implementing plans for the investment of Indian tribal 
     trust funds.
       (b) Use of Funds.--The purposes for which funds provided 
     under this section may be used include (but are not limited 
     to)--
       (1) the training and education of employees responsible for 
     monitoring the investment of trust funds;
       (2) the building of tribal capacity for the investment and 
     management of trust funds;
       (3) the development of a comprehensive tribal investment 
     plan;
       (4) the implementation and management of tribal trust fund 
     investment plans; and
       (5) such other purposes related to this title that the 
     Secretary deems appropriate.

     SEC. 206. RETURN OF WITHDRAWN FUNDS.

       Subject to such conditions as the Secretary may prescribe, 
     any Indian tribe which has withdrawn trust funds may choose 
     to return any or all of the trust funds such tribe has 
     withdrawn by notifying the Secretary in writing of its 
     intention to return the funds to the control and management 
     of the Secretary.

     SEC. 207. SAVINGS PROVISION.

       By submitting or approving a plan under this title, neither 
     the tribe nor the Secretary shall be deemed to have accepted 
     the account balance as accurate or to have waived any rights 
     regarding such balance and to seek compensation.

     SEC. 208. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

       The Secretary shall, beginning one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, submit an annual report to the 
     Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Indian Affairs of the 
     Senate on the implementation of programs under this title. 
     Such report shall include recommendations (if any) for 
     changes necessary to better implement the purpose of this 
     title.

     SEC. 209. REGULATIONS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 12 months after the date of 
     enactment of this title, the Secretary shall promulgate final 
     regulations for the implementation of this title. All 
     regulations promulgated pursuant to this title shall be 
     developed by the Secretary with the full and active 
     participation of the Indian tribes with trust funds held by 
     the Secretary and other affected Indian tribes.
       (b) Effect.--The lack of promulgated regulations shall not 
     limit the effect of this title.
            TITLE III--SPECIAL TRUSTEE FOR AMERICAN INDIANS

     SEC. 301. PURPOSES.

       The purposes of this title are--
       (1) to provide for more effective management of, and 
     accountability for the proper discharge of, the Secretary's 
     trust responsibilities to Indian tribes and individual 
     Indians by establishing in the Department of the Interior an 
     Office of Special Trustee for American Indians to oversee and 
     coordinate reforms within the Department of practices 
     relating to the management and discharge of such 
     responsibilities;
       (2) to ensure that reform of such practices in the 
     Department is carried out in a unified manner and that 
     reforms of the policies, practices, procedures and systems of 
     the Bureau, Minerals Management Service, and Bureau of Land 
     Management, which carry out such trust responsibilities, are 
     effective, consistent, and integrated; and
       (3) to ensure the implementation of all reforms necessary 
     for the proper discharge of the Secretary's trust 
     responsibilities to Indian tribes and individual Indians.

     SEC. 302. OFFICE OF SPECIAL TRUSTEE FOR AMERICAN INDIANS.

       (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established within the 
     Department of the Interior the Office of Special Trustee for 
     American Indians. The Office shall be headed by the Special 
     Trustee who shall report directly to the Secretary.
       (b) Special Trustee.--
       (1) Appointment.--The Special Trustee shall be appointed by 
     the President, by and with the advice and consent of the 
     Senate, from among individuals who possess demonstrated 
     ability in general management of large governmental or 
     business entities and particular knowledge of trust fund 
     management, management of financial institutions, and the 
     investment of large sums of money.
       (2) Compensation.--The Special Trustee shall be paid at a 
     rate determined by the Secretary to be appropriate for the 
     position, but not less than the rate of basic pay payable at 
     Level II of the Executive Schedule under section 5313 of 
     title 5, United States Code.
       (c) Termination of Office.--
       (1) Conditioned upon implementation of reforms.--The 
     Special Trustee, in proposing a termination date under 
     section 303(a)(2)(C), shall ensure continuation of the Office 
     until all reforms identified in the strategic plan have been 
     implemented to the satisfaction of the Special Trustee.
       (2) 30-day notice.--Thirty days prior to the termination 
     date proposed in the plan submitted under this section, the 
     Special Trustee shall notify the Secretary and the Congress 
     in writing of the progress in implementing the reforms 
     identified in the plan. The Special Trustee, at that time, 
     may recommend the continuation, or the permanent 
     establishment, of the Office if the Special Trustee concludes 
     that continuation or permanent establishment is necessary for 
     the efficient discharge of the Secretary's trust 
     responsibilities.
       (3) Termination date.--The Office shall terminate 180 
     legislative days after the date on which the notice to the 
     Congress under paragraph (2) is provided, unless the Congress 
     extends the authorities of the Special Trustee. For the 
     purposes of this session, a legislative day is a day on which 
     either House of the Congress is in session.

     SEC. 303. AUTHORITIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE SPECIAL TRUSTEE.

       (a) Comprehensive Strategic Plan.--
       (1) In general.--The Special Trustee shall prepare and, 
     after consultation with Indian tribes and appropriate Indian 
     organizations, submit to the Secretary and the Committee on 
     Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate, within one year 
     after the initial appointment is made under section 302(b), a 
     comprehensive strategic plan for all phases of the trust 
     management business cycle that will ensure proper and 
     efficient discharge of the Secretary's trust responsibilities 
     to Indian tribes and individual Indians in compliance with 
     this Act.
       (2) Plan requirements.--The plan prepared under paragraph 
     (1) shall include the following:
       (A) Identification of all reforms to the policies, 
     procedures, practices and systems of the Department, the 
     Bureau, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Minerals 
     Management Service necessary to ensure the proper and 
     efficient discharge of the Secretary's trust responsibilities 
     in compliance with this Act.
       (B) Provisions for opportunities for Indian tribes to 
     assist in the management of their trust accounts and to 
     identify for the Secretary options for the investment of 
     their trust accounts, in a manner consistent with the trust 
     responsibilities of the Secretary, in ways that will help 
     promote economic development in their communities.
       (C) A timetable for implementing the reforms identified in 
     the plan, including a date for the proposed termination of 
     the Office.
       (b) Duties.--
       (1) General oversight of reform efforts.--The Special 
     Trustee shall oversee all reform efforts within the Bureau, 
     the Bureau of Land Management, and the Minerals Management 
     Service relating to the trust responsibilities of the 
     Secretary to ensure the establishment of policies, 
     procedures, systems and practices to allow the Secretary to 
     discharge his trust responsibilities in compliance with this 
     Act.
       (2) Bureau of indian affairs.--
       (A) Monitor reconciliation of trust accounts.--The Special 
     Trustee shall monitor the reconciliation of tribal and 
     Individual Indian Money trust accounts to ensure that the 
     Bureau provides the account holders, with a fair and accurate 
     accounting of all trust accounts.
       (B) Investments.--The Special Trustee shall ensure that the 
     Bureau establishes appropriate policies and procedures, and 
     develops necessary systems, that will allow it--
       (i) properly to account for and invest, as well as 
     maximize, in a manner consistent with the statutory 
     restrictions imposed on the Secretary's investment options, 
     the return on the investment of all trust fund monies, and
       (ii) to prepare accurate and timely reports to account 
     holders (and others, as required) on a periodic basis 
     regarding all collections, disbursements, investments, and 
     return on investments related to their accounts.
       (C) Ownership and lease data.--The Special Trustee shall 
     ensure that the Bureau establishes policies and practices to 
     maintain complete, accurate, and timely data regarding the 
     ownership and lease of Indian lands.
       (3) Bureau of land management.--The Special Trustee shall 
     ensure that the Bureau of Land Management establishes 
     policies and practices adequate to enforce compliance with 
     Federal requirements for drilling, production, 
     accountability, environmental protection, and safety with 
     respect to the lease of Indian lands.
       (4) Minerals management service.--The Special Trustee shall 
     ensure that the Minerals Management Service establishes 
     policies and practices to enforce compliance by lessees of 
     Indian lands with all requirements for timely and accurate 
     reporting of production and payment of lease royalties and 
     other revenues, including the audit of leases to ensure that 
     lessees are accurately reporting production levels and 
     calculating royalty payments.
       (c) Coordination of Policies.--
       (1) In general.--The Special Trustee shall ensure that--
       (A) the policies, procedures, practices, and systems of the 
     Bureau, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Minerals 
     Management Service related to the discharge of the 
     Secretary's trust responsibilities are coordinated, 
     consistent, and integrated, and
       (B) the Department prepares comprehensive and coordinated 
     written policies and procedures for each phase of the trust 
     management business cycle.
       (2) Standardized procedures.--The Special Trustee shall 
     ensure that the Bureau imposes standardized trust fund 
     accounting procedures throughout the Bureau.
       (3) Integration of ledger with investment system.--The 
     Special Trustee shall ensure that the trust fund investment, 
     general ledger, and subsidiary accounting systems of the 
     Bureau are integrated and that they are adequate to support 
     the trust fund investment needs of the Bureau.
       (4) Integration of land records, trust funds accounting, 
     and asset management systems among agencies.--The Special 
     Trustee shall ensure that--
       (A) the land records system of the Bureau interfaces with 
     the trust fund accounting system, and
       (B) the asset management systems of the Minerals Management 
     Service and the Bureau of Land Management interface with the 
     appropriate asset management and accounting systems of the 
     Bureau, including ensuring that--
       (i) the Minerals Management Service establishes policies 
     and procedures that will allow it to properly collect, 
     account for, and disburse to the Bureau all royalties and 
     other revenues generated by production from leases on Indian 
     lands; and
       (ii) the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau provide 
     Indian landholders with accurate and timely reports on a 
     periodic basis that cover all transactions related to leases 
     of Indian resources.
       (5) Trust management program budget.--
       (A) Development and submission.--The Special Trustee shall 
     develop for each fiscal year, with the advice of program 
     managers of each office within the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 
     Bureau of Land Management and Minerals Management Service 
     that participates in trust management, including the 
     management of trust funds or natural resources, or which is 
     charged with any responsibility under the comprehensive 
     strategic plan prepared under subsection (a) of this section, 
     a consolidated Trust Management program budget proposal that 
     would enable the Secretary to efficiently and effectively 
     discharge his trust responsibilities and to implement the 
     comprehensive strategic plan, and shall submit such budget 
     proposal to the Secretary, the Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget, and to the Congress.
       (B) Duty of certain program managers.--Each program manager 
     participating in trust management or charged with 
     responsibilities under the comprehensive strategic plans 
     shall transmit his office's budget request to the Special 
     Trustee at the same time as such request is submitted to his 
     superiors (and before submission to the Office of Management 
     and Budget) in the preparation of the budget of the President 
     submitted to the Congress under section 1105(a) of title 31, 
     United States Code.
       (C) Certification of adequacy of budget request.--The 
     Special Trustee shall--
       (i) review each budget request submitted under subparagraph 
     (B);
       (ii) certify in writing as to the adequacy of such request 
     to discharge, effectively and efficiently, the Secretary's 
     trust responsibilities and to implement the comprehensive 
     strategic plan; and
       (iii) notify the program manager of the Special Trustee's 
     certification under clause (ii).
       (D) Maintenance of records.--The Special Trustee shall 
     maintain records of certifications made under paragraph 
     (3)(B).
       (E) Limitation on reprogramming or transfer.--No program 
     manager shall submit, and no official of the Department of 
     the Interior may approve or otherwise authorize, a 
     reprogramming or transfer request with respect to any funds 
     appropriated for trust management which is included in the 
     Trust Management Program Budget unless such request has been 
     approved by the Special Trustee.
       (d) Problem Resolution.--The Special Trustee shall provide 
     such guidance as necessary to assist Department personnel in 
     identifying problems and options for resolving problems, and 
     in implementing reforms to Department, Bureau, Bureau of Land 
     Management, and Minerals Management Service policies, 
     procedures, systems and practices.
       (e) Special Trustee Access.--The Special Trustee, and his 
     staff, shall have access to all records, reports, audits, 
     reviews, documents, papers, recommendations, files and other 
     material, as well as to any officer and employee, of the 
     Department and any office or bureau thereof, as the Special 
     Trustee deems necessary for the accomplishment of his duties 
     under this Act.
       (f) Annual report.--The Special Trustee shall report to the 
     Secretary and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 
     of Representatives and the Committee on Indian Affairs of the 
     Senate each year on the progress of the Department, the 
     Bureau, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Minerals 
     Management Service in implementing the reforms identified in 
     the comprehensive strategic plan under subsection (a)(1) and 
     in meeting the timetable established in the strategic plan 
     under subsection (a)(2)(C).

     SEC. 304. RECONCILIATION REPORT.

       The Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Natural 
     Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
     on Indian Affairs of the Senate, by May 31, 1996, a report 
     identifying for each tribal trust fund account for which the 
     Secretary is responsible a balance reconciled as of September 
     30, 1995. In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall 
     consult with the Special Trustee. The report shall include--
       (1) a description of the Secretary's methodology in 
     reconciling trust fund accounts;
       (2) attestations by each account holder that--
       (A) the Secretary has provided the account holder with as 
     full and complete accounting as possible of the account 
     holder's funds to the earliest possible date, and that the 
     account holder accepts the balance as reconciled by the 
     Secretary; or
       (B) the account holder disputes the balance of the account 
     holder's account as reconciled by the Secretary and statement 
     explaining why the account holder disputes the Secretary's 
     reconciled balance; and
       (3) a statement by the Secretary with regard to each 
     account balance disputed by the account holder outlining 
     efforts the Secretary will undertake to resolve the dispute.

     SEC. 305. STAFF AND CONSULTANTS.

       (a) Staff.--The Special Trustee may employ such staff as 
     the Special Trustee deems necessary. The Special Trustee may 
     request staff assistance from within the Department and any 
     office or Bureau thereof as the Special Trustee deems 
     necessary.
       (b) Contracts.--To the extent and in such amounts as may be 
     provided in advance by appropriations Acts, the Special 
     Trustee may enter into contracts and other arrangements with 
     public agencies and with private persons and organizations 
     for consulting services and make such payments as necessary 
     to carry out the provisions of this title.

     SEC. 306. ADVISORY BOARD.

       (a) Establishment and Membership.--Notwithstanding any 
     other provision of law, the Special Trustee shall establish 
     an advisory board to provide advice on all matters within the 
     jurisdiction of the Special Trustee. The advisory board shall 
     consist of nine members, appointed by the Special Trustee 
     after consultation with Indian tribes and appropriate Indian 
     organizations, of which--
       (1) five members shall represent trust fund account 
     holders, including both tribal and Individual Indian Money 
     accounts;
       (2) two members shall have practical experience in trust 
     fund and financial management;
       (3) one member shall have practical experience in fiduciary 
     investment management; and
       (4) one member, from academia, shall have knowledge of 
     general management of large organizations.
       (b) Term.--Each member shall serve a term of two years.
       (c) FACA.--The advisory board shall not be subject to the 
     Federal Advisory Committee Act.
       (d) Termination.--The Advisory Board shall terminate upon 
     termination of the Office of Special Trustee.
               TITLE IV--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

     SEC. 401. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
     necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Mexico [Mr. Richardson] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from Wyoming [Mr. Thomas] will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The chair recognizes the gentleman from New Mexico [Mr. Richardson].


                             general leave

  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
in the Record on the bill presently under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Mexico?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the Department of the Interior is responsible for 
managing and investing over $2.1 billion in Indian trust funds. These 
funds are made up mostly of receipts from leases for timber stumpage, 
oil and gas royalties, and agricultural uses. The Department currently 
is unable to give an accurate balance for these accounts and tribes 
have very little say in how their funds are managed. H.R. 4833 is the 
culmination of 5 years of oversight and 3 years of seeking specific 
legislative resolution. This bill will allow tribes to directly manage 
their funds and receive periodic statements on the accounts which 
remain with the Department. Further, this bill will establish a special 
trustee for Indian trust funds. This person will develop an overall 
strategic plan to reform the current process of handling Indian 
allotted lands and the proceeds from them. I want to thank my good 
friend and ranking Republican on the Native American Affairs 
Subcommittee, Mr. Thomas of Wyoming, for all his work and efforts on 
this bill. I make note that he served on the Government Operations 
Subcommittee with Mr. Synar and worked on the original investigation 
that brought many of these issues to light.
  I further want to thank Mr. Synar, for it was his Subcommittee on 
Environment, Energy and Natural Resources that provided most of the 
background material which made the need for this legislation so 
obvious. I doubt we would be here today had it not been for his work.
  In 1834 the House Committee on Indian Affairs issued a report 
depicting the administration of Indian Affairs as being ``expensive, 
inefficient, and irresponsible.'' Although it is 160 years later, I 
share the concerns of my predecessor committee. This legislation is a 
first step toward making trust fund management more efficient and more 
responsible. I urge my colleagues to support it.

                              {time}  1400

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks and to include extraneous material.)
  Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 
4833, the Indian Trust Fund Management Act. I believe that I have made 
my views on this subject clear over the years that we have been holding 
hearings on the Department's mismanagement of Indian trust funds. 
Because of our busy schedule today, then, I will simply urge my 
colleagues to support this bill and I submit for the Record a copy of 
my statement before the Subcommittee on Environment, Energy and Natural 
Resources on September 26, 1994, on this same topic.

   Statement of Congressman Craig Thomas Before the Subcommittee on 
     Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources, September 26, 1994

       I appreciate Chairman Synar enabling me to submit a 
     statement this morning. As a member of the Committee on 
     Government Operations, and as the ranking Republican on the 
     Subcommittee on Native American Affairs, I am keenly 
     interested in the issue of Indian Trust Funds and the galling 
     failure of the Department and the BIA to live up to their 
     responsibilities. Unfortunately, previous commitments back in 
     Wyoming prevent me from appearing in person today.
       I have participated in a number of hearings over the last 
     several years on this subject. We have had two hearings on 
     trust fund management--or, more properly, mismanagement--in 
     the Native American Affairs Subcommittee this Congress, and I 
     was a member of Chairman Synar's subcommittee in the last 
     Congress. Then, as now, I fully support efforts to untangle 
     this mess.
       Since the Government Operations Committee released its 
     report, ``Misplaced Trust: The Bureau of Indian Affairs' 
     Mismanagement of the Indian Trust Fund'', I have seen 
     precious little change in this sad state of affairs. Instead, 
     I have seen promised deadlines come and go; I have seen 
     promises to reform go unfulfilled. Despite statements made in 
     the early days of the Clinton administration, two years later 
     neither the Department nor the BIA has brought us one step 
     closer to resolving the trust fund problem. All we have seen 
     is a continuation of the BIA's one unchallenged specialty: 
     inertia.
       We have seen the pattern repeated over and over. The 
     Department and BIA promise to act, fail to, we are forced to 
     introduce legislation to deal with the issue, and then when 
     passage of the legislation seems imminent they come to us and 
     ask for more time, quote, ``because we're working on the 
     problem, really we are,'' unquote, or they offer their own, 
     watered-down, legislative proposal in the hope of heading 
     ours off.
       We have seen this happen with FAP and 638 reform, and with 
     the trust fund issue we consider today. The gentleman from 
     Oklahoma introduced his trust fund bill--H.R. 1846--on April 
     22, 1993. The BIA had until September 27--when my 
     subcommittee held an oversight hearing focused on the bill--
     to fully review it and provide us with its comments on it. 
     Instead, at that hearing the BIA provided only superficial 
     comments and indicated in written testimony that it would, 
     quote, ``supplement [its] comments on a fuller report to be 
     submitted in the future,'' unquote. In fact, Assistant 
     Secretary Deer stated that the Bureau had reviewed both S. 
     925 and H.R. 1846, and would provide us with detail comments, 
     quote, ``in a matter of days,'' unquote.
       Well, the subcommittee held a hearing on August 11, 1994, 
     to consider both H.R. 1846 and H.R. 4833, 318 days after we 
     were promised some action by the Bureau, later, and those 
     promised comments had yet to arrive. Moreover, once Chairman 
     Richardson introduced his bill and scheduled the August 
     hearing, true to form the BIA suddenly had an alternative to 
     the two bills.
       Once again, in my opinion, they offered us far too little 
     far too late. I urged the subcommittee to reject more delay 
     and more stonewalling, to reject the BIA alternative, and 
     move forward in the very near future with either of the 
     bills. Last Friday I joined with Congressmen Richardson, 
     Williams, and others in signing a letter to Chairman Miller 
     of the Natural Resources Committee strongly urging him to 
     take up one of the bills in full committee so that we can 
     pass a bill out of the House this session.
       I am sure that this morning we will hear more of the same 
     excuses and promises, more requests to just give it a little 
     more time, from the Department that we have been hearing for 
     the last six years. But, Mr. Chairman, shame on us, shame on 
     this Congress, if we delay any further.
       The Department told us in August, and I am sure will repeat 
     this morning, that they have everything under control. Well, 
     Mr. Chairman, my response to that is an explicative which 
     decorum prevents me from using here but which I will 
     paraphrase: cow manure! I have read the GAO's September 1994 
     draft report (GAO/AIMD-94-185) on this subject, and would 
     like to quote several of the passages from that agency's 
     conclusion:
       ``[M]any of the [Department's] initiatives are in the early 
     stages and a number of them will not be completed for several 
     years. Further, the Secretary's 6-Point Trust Funds and Trust 
     Asset Management Reform Plan, issued in June 1994, does not 
     provide the comprehensive approach needed to address the full 
     range of trust fund and asset management problems that 
     Interior continues to face.
       ``A sustained commitment will be needed to carry through on 
     needed improvements. In the past, Interior has not 
     demonstrated the leadership or management commitment needed 
     and many previous corrective action efforts have failed 
     outright or resulted in only incremental improvements. 
     Interior must comprehensively examine its mission and the way 
     it does business to determine how and by whom Indian trust 
     funds can best be managed * * *.''
       I couldn't have said it better myself.
       Mr. Chairman, the Department needs to pull itself out of 
     denial, pull itself out of its fantasy world, and come to 
     grips with realty. It is clear that they are incapable of 
     doing it themselves. I sincerely hope that we can do it for 
     them, and will do everything I can to move a bill before 
     Congress adjourns.

  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Oklahoma [Mr. Synar], the pioneer of this effort and one who deserves 
enormous praise for the work we have done. Because of him we are here 
today.
  (Mr. SYNAR asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. SYNAR. Mr. Speaker, if ever the words, ``It is the right thing to 
do,'' meant anything, they mean everything with respect to the 
legislation we consider today. It is very unfortunate that we stand 
here today and are forced to take this action to statutorily reform the 
Department of the Interior's management of the $2.1 billion trust fund 
for the tribes and individual Indians. But make no mistake. We must 
take this step because the Department itself refuses to adequately 
address the serious accounting and management problems which have 
plagued the trust fund program for decades.
  Over the years, Congress, the General Accounting Office, the Interior 
Department's inspector general, and the President's Office of 
Management all have issued directives to the Department to develop a 
comprehensive plan for cleaning up this mess. In many cases, those 
directives have simply been ignored. At other times, the Department has 
responded with simplistic, isolated and often ill-conceived initiatives 
which, even taken together, will never solve the trust fund problems 
repeatedly found in three separate bureaus of the Department.
  This legislation is the only way we are going to force the Department 
to give sustained high-level attention to this issue, and to develop 
the kind of comprehensive strategic plan that is essential to 
correcting these serious trust fund problems. And it is the only way 
Congress and the trust fund account holders will ever have assurance 
that the Secretary of the Interior is taking the steps necessary to 
meet his fiduciary obligations to those for whom we are holding these 
funds in trust.
  H.R. 4833, as reported, would statutorily establish within the 
Department a special trustee who would be charged with developing, in 
close consultation with account holders, a comprehensive strategic plan 
for correcting the widespread management and accounting problems 
throughout the Department and with ensuring that those corrective 
actions are effectively carried out. The bill establishes an advisory 
board, composed of account holder representatives and persons with 
trust fund, investment and management expertise, to advise the trustee 
in carrying out his obligations. The legislation also includes key 
elements of legislation I previously introduced--H.R. 1846--to reform 
trust funds management. These include provisions which specify the 
Secretary's fiduciary duties to account holders, which facilitate 
greater tribal management of their trust funds, and which require the 
Secretary to invest and pay interest on individual Indian money trust 
funds, consistent with current law for tribal trust funds. Each of 
these provisions is vital.
  Mr. Speaker, my Subcommittee on Environment, Energy and Natural 
Resources, has held five separate oversight hearings on this subject 
since 1989. Mr. Richardson's subcommittee has also held several 
hearings in the last two years. Regrettably, year after year we get the 
same worn-out response from the Interior Department. They tell us 
they're really on top of this now. They tell us they're really going to 
move on needed reforms now. Year after year, on and on with the same 
commitments. Year after year, those commitments are largely forgotten 
when the hearings are over.
  I understand the Interior Department opposes this legislation. That 
is too bad; we have tried to work in good faith with the Department on 
correcting these problems and, failing that, on crafting an appropriate 
legislative measure. I want to assure my colleagues that the 
Department's vague last-minute arguments over the bill have no merit 
whatsoever. And, sadly, their promises of reform are no different, and 
no better, than those of their predecessors.
  It is time for Congress to take matters into its own hands, and to 
require by statute that the Secretary and the Department do what needs 
to be done to fix these problems and meet the Government's trust 
responsibilities to the account holders.
  H.R. 4833 is the right answer at the right time, and I ask my 
colleagues to support it.
  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to enter into a colloquy with the gentleman 
from Oklahoma [Mr. Synar], and he just said something that is 
manifestly clear. He has been working on the BIA to reform itself on 
this issue. We have in this subcommittee anywhere from self-governance 
issues to self-determination grants, and all we get from the Bureau of 
Indian Affairs is, ``We need more time.'' The bureaucracy seems to get 
a stronger foothold, and in fact we have a commission that is looking 
at BIA operations, and, instead of issuing a report to the Congress on 
how the BIA should change, they have told us that they need another 
year of study.
  Mr. Speaker, this is incredible, and I would like to ask my colleague 
to give us his parting words on the BIA issue. I know he will be very 
active in the future on native American affairs, but I wondered if the 
gentleman could educate this body on some of the problems that we have 
with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
  Mr. SYNAR. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. RICHARDSON. I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma.
  Mr. SYNAR. Well, very clearly, Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from New 
Mexico [Mr. Richardson] summarized, I think, what all of us have faced 
over the years, and I say to my colleague,

       There is an understanding that, after the five sets of 
     hearings which the gentleman from Wyoming and I held through 
     our Committee on Environment, and Energy, and Natural 
     Resources, and the two sets of hearings you have held under 
     your jurisdiction, we have been unable to get the 
     responsiveness that we need out of the BIA to perform the 
     basic fiduciary responsibilities which we expect out of any 
     trustee. If this was done in the Social Security system, my 
     colleagues, we would have had a war.

  The fact is that literally over 300,000 individual holders, over 300 
tribes, literally cannot get a basic accounting of what is owed to 
them, and that is a disgrace for this Federal Government, and to 
continue to allow this to exist is an admission on our part that we 
cannot provide for the basic things that we need in our trustee 
responsibility. We have through the years, through the help of the 
gentleman from New Mexico, and the gentleman from Wyoming and others, 
tried to work with the BIA to get them to respond. It is very clear 
they will not, and this legislation gives us the only alternative which 
we do have, and without it we will continue to have the same problems 
with our tribes and individual account holders, that we cannot give 
them the basic accounting which they basically need for their funds.
  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. 
Synar].
  Mr. McCANDLESS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. RICHARDSON. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. McCANDLESS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from New 
Mexico [Mr. Richardson] yielding to me.
  With respect to experience, if there is any need for anyone to have 
particular time, date, and place of problems, I have been involved with 
the BIA now for 12 years as a Member of Congress and almost 12 years 
prior to that at another level of government where I was involved with 
the same BIA in the same geographical locations. I would be happy to 
share with anyone in the committee, or anyone who is interested, my 24 
years of experience, line item, with the BIA, and I appreciate this 
being brought before the body today.
  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California 
[Mr. McCandless], and we appreciate his comments and his contributions 
to this effort now and, I know, in the future.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming. Mr. Speaker, I, too, have no further requests 
for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pastor). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from New Mexico [Mr. Richardson] that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4833, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. McCANDLESS. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that 
a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is 
not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Evidently a quorum is not present.
  Pursuant to clause 5, rule I, and the Chair's prior announcement, 
further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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