Andrea Joy Campbell: “as many of my colleagues are aware, the American Indian Trust Management Reform Act of 1994 established the Office of…”

“as many of my colleagues are aware, the American Indian Trust Management Reform Act of 1994 established the Office of Special Trustee within the Department of Interior. Many believe that the reform efforts initiated by the Act were dealt a serious set-back when the person confirmed by the Senate for this position resigned in response to the Secretary's effort to re-organize the Office of the Special Trustee without notifying the Special Trustee, the Congress, the Advisory Commission established by the 1994 Act, affected Indian tribes, or Indian account holders. A number of concerns have been raised by the absence of a Special Trustee appointed and confirmed in a manner consistent with the Act. Perhaps the most important concern raised in hearings on the trust fund crisis is the absence of a responsible official with either the independence or the appearance of independence of an appointed Special Trustee. The Act was designed to allow the Special Trustee to act and advise Congress in an independent manner. For example, the Act required the Special Trustee to certify in writing of the adequacy of the budget requests for those entities responsible for discharging the Secretary's trust responsibility.”