Tuesday, February 16, 2010

DOJ Unveils Plan of Action for Consultation/Coordination with Tribes

The Justice Department has unveiled its plan of action, submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to improve consultation and coordination between the department and tribal nations, as directed by President Barack Obama's Memorandum on Tribal Consultation, which was signed on Nov. 5.

The plan, submitted to OMB on Jan. 27, identifies the steps DOJ will take to develop a comprehensive consultation and coordination policy with tribal nations.

The plan includes: expanding the role of the Office of Tribal Justice; creating a Tribal Nations Leadership Council to ensure ongoing communication and collaboration with tribal governments; convening consultations between tribal leadership and U.S. Attorneys whose jurisdictions include federally-recognized tribes; mandating annual meetings between the department's grants offices and tribal leadership to discuss grant policies, concerns or funding priorities; creating a new federal-tribal taskforce to develop strategies and guidance for federal and tribal prosecutions of crimes of violence against women in tribal communities; and publishing a progress report within 270 days of the Presidential Memorandum evaluating the implementation of these reforms.

To view the plan, go to: http://justice.gov/opa/documents/exec13175-consultation-policy.pdf.

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