Washburn Announces Extension of Comment Period for Secretarial Elections
1/15/2015 2:00:00 PM - Tribal Observer

By Joseph V. Sowmick, Photojournalist

In a Dec. 15 official communication sent to the Tribal Observer from the U. S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn announced that the Department of the Interior has extended to Jan. 16, 2015, the public comment period for a proposed rule to update the regulations on the procedures by which Secretarial elections are handled. 

Washburn is an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma and was confirmed by the United States Senate as the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior on Sept. 21, 2012, and was sworn into office by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on October 9, 2012.

A Secretarial election is a federal election conducted by the Secretary of the Interior under a federal statute or Tribal governing document in accordance with 25 CFR Part 81.

The rule proposes to update BIA regulations at 25 CFR Part 81, which govern how the BIA conducts Secretarial elections for federally recognized Indian tribes, and 25 CFR Part 82, which govern how their Tribal members can petition for a Secretarial election.  The proposed rule would combine the two provisions into one Code of Federal Regulations part at 25 CFR Part 81, and make other updates to reflect changes in statutory law. The Department held three consultation sessions this year with Tribal leaders on the proposed rule, but is granting additional time for comments.   

The proposed rule is available for viewing in its entirety via www.bia.gov website.

The Assistant Secretary (Washburn) of Indian Affairs oversees the BIA, which is headed by a director who is responsible for managing day-to-day operations through four offices (Indian Services, Justice Services, Trust Services and Field Operations).  These offices directly administer or fund Tribally-based infrastructure, law enforcement, social services, Tribal governance, natural and energy resources, and trust management programs for the nation’s federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes and villages through 12 regional offices and 81 agencies.

The Office of Indian Services Division of Tribal Government Services administers the 25 CFR Part 81 regulations. 

Although the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Council can adopt changes in existing Tribal Codes and Ordinances, any proposed changes to the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Constitution must be brought forward through the Secretarial Election process as specified through the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.