Interior Department to Hold Tribal Consultation on Updating Indian Trader License Regulations

WASHINGTON – Acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Michael S. Black announced today that the Department of the Interior has scheduled a series of tribal consultation sessions beginning February 23, 2017, on updating the Licensed Indian Trader regulations at 25 C.F.R. Part 140. The Department is taking this action in an effort to modernize implementation of the Indian Trader statutes consistent with federal policies of tribal self-determination and selfgovernance.

“The Interior Department’s Indian Trader regulations need updating to reflect the present day realities of commerce and business development on tribal lands,” Black said. “I strongly encourage tribal government and business leaders to give us their feedback on ways in which these regulations can be improved to better reflect their business environments and the Nationto-Nation relationship.”

The Department is asking for public comments on whether and how it should update the regulations, including how they might be updated to govern who trades on Indian lands and how they can better promote tribal self-determination regarding trade on Indian lands. The regulations were first published in 1957, revised in 1965, and modified in 1984.

On December 9, 2016, the Department published in the Federal Register an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) stating that it is considering whether to propose an administrative rule that would comprehensively update the Indian Trader regulations. The Department is seeking comments on questions that were listed in the December 9 notice.

On February 8, 2017, the Department published in the Federal Register a notice with complete information on the dates, times and locations for the eight tribal consultation sessions to be held.

The Department is seeking comments from tribes, states and their agencies, and the public. Comments must be submitted on or before April 10, 2017.

For more details on the ANPRM and how to submit comments, see the December 9 Federal Register notice here: https://www.indianaffairs.gov/cs/groups/webteam/documents/document/idc2-056627.pdf

For the complete schedule of tribal consultation sessions, visit the Indian Affairs Office of Regulatory Affairs & Collaborative Action webpage here: https://www.indianaffairs.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/ORM/25CFR140/index.htm