TITLE: Call for the Implementation of the Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee
WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States, to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the health, safety and welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and
WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was established in 1944 and is the oldest and largest national organization of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments; and
WHEREAS, the Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee (TTAC) was created by the Tribal General Welfare Act of 2014, Public Law 113-168 and is governed by a charter set forth by the Department of Justice under the Federal Advisory Committee Act; and
WHEREAS, four of the seven TTAC committee members have been appointed, providing a quorum of the Committee to meet, whereby nothing in the charter prevents setting a date for an initial meeting of the Committee; and
WHEREAS, setting an initial meeting of the Committee will encourage finalization of outstanding appointments from leaders of the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees as designated in the Tribal General Welfare Act and provide a timeframe to take action in order to fully implement the Tribal General Welfare Act; and
WHEREAS, the current appointed members of the Committee are eager to begin the important work of the Committee to address continual tax and finance issues that inhibit life for tribal members across the nation.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Congress of American Indians on behalf of tribal leaders calls for the United States Treasury set the initial meeting of the Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee to begin work to fully implement the Tribal General Welfare Act; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, NCAI urges Congress to finalize their nominees to the Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy of NCAI until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent resolution.
CERTIFICATION
The foregoing resolution was adopted by the General Assembly at the 2016 Midyear Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held at the Spokane Convention Center, June 27 to June 30, 2016, with a quorum present.