[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 24 (Thursday, February 5, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5574-5575]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-2407]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians


Notice of Availability of Draft ``To-Be'' Trust Business Model 
for Public Comment

AGENCY: Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians; Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft ``To-Be'' trust business model 
for public comment.

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SUMMARY: This action notifies the public of the availability of the 
draft ``To-Be'' trust business model for public comment from the date 
of this publication to March 31, 2004.
    For a number of years, the Department of the Interior (DOI) has 
been working on several projects to reform and improve the management 
of Indian fiduciary trust assets. The most comprehensive reform effort 
currently underway is the development of the ``To-Be'' Trust Model, 
which will reengineer the way DOI bureaus and offices perform their 
trust responsibilities and, ultimately, improve services provided to 
trust beneficiaries.
    Reengineering is necessary, particularly in response to some of the 
challenges facing DOI in its administration of the trust. These 
challenges include:
     Individual Indians, Tribes, and Congress who 
have, for some time, expressed dissatisfaction with the trust 
management services provided by DOI;
     Multiple and often duplicative processes that 
are used to manage land and natural resource assets, track ownership, 
manage accounts and distribute funds;
     The expectations of beneficiaries and employees 
that may exceed the Indian Trust mandate or capability of the Trustee 
to deliver;
     The number of fractionated interests in land 
assets, which are growing at an exponential rate, and the number of IIM 
accounts that must be managed, that have overwhelmed and excessively 
complicated the existing manual and automated processes and systems.
    With this daunting array of challenges, the need for changing the 
way DOI delivers trust products and services is evident. DOI senior 
leadership has led the way by developing a plan titled The 
Comprehensive Trust Management (CTM) Plan, which defines and describes 
the strategic direction of trust reform and clearly articulates DOI's 
commitment to fulfilling its trust responsibilities. Toward this end, a 
team of DOI and tribal representatives worked extensively to document 
the DOI performance of current fiduciary trust business practices 
nationwide, which are reported in the ``As-Is'' Report. The information 
contained in the ``As-Is'' Report is the foundation for the 
recommendations for reengineered business process that appear within 
the ``To-Be'' Model. Standardization of fiduciary trust business 
processes and modernization of systems to meet customer, accounting, 
and operational requirements is needed.
    During the period of November 2003 to January 2004, meetings were 
held to provide stakeholders' information relative to the progress made 
to date on the draft ``To-Be'' trust business model. The meetings were 
also intended to solicit comments and recommendations for improving the 
draft ``To-Be'' trust business model. This comment period follows the 
conclusion of those informational meetings.

DATES: All comments are due by March 31, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit any written comments on the ``To-Be'' draft business 
model to D. Jeff Lords, Acting Deputy Special Trustee--Trust 
Accountability, Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians, 
4400 Masthead NE., Albuquerque, NM 87109. Submissions by facsimile 
should be sent to 505/816-1360.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: D. Jeff Lords, Acting Deputy Special 
Trustee--Trust Accountability, Office of the Special Trustee for 
American Indians, 4400 Masthead NE.,

[[Page 5575]]

Albuquerque, NM 87109; telephone 505/816-1313.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action notifies the public of a review 
and comment period for the draft ``To-Be'' trust business model from 
the date of publication to March 31, 2004. The draft ``To-Be'' trust 
business model is available by accessing http://www.ost.doi.gov. If you 
do not have internet access, a copy of the draft ``To-Be'' trust 
business model is available on Compact Disk (CD) format. For a copy of 
the CD please write to: Office of the Special Trustee for American 
Indians, Trust Program Management Center, 4400 Masthead NE., 
Albuquerque, NM 87109, or call 505/816-1313.
    Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish us 
to withhold your name, street address, and other contact information 
(such as fax or phone number) from public review or from disclosure 
under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently 
at the beginning of your comment. We will honor your request to the 
extent allowable by law. We will make available for public inspection 
in their entirety all submissions from organizations or businesses, and 
from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials 
of organizations or businesses.
    This notice is published in accordance with the authority delegated 
by the Secretary of the Interior to the Special Trustee for American 
Indians by 209 DM 11.

    Dated: January 30, 2004.
Ross Swimmer,
Special Trustee for American Indians, Office of the Special Trustee for 
American Indians.
[FR Doc. 04-2407 Filed 2-4-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-2W-P