§2018 Regional meetings and negotiated rulemaking

Summary

Require regional meetings first. The Secretary must hold regional meetings with Office of Indian Education Programs staff, Bureau school educators, tribal leaders, parents, teachers, administrators, and school board members from tribes served by Bureau-funded schools before publishing proposed regulations or creating a negotiated rulemaking committee. The Secretary must use negotiated rulemaking procedures under federal law to make the rules and must publish final regulations in the Federal Register. If final rules are not issued within 18 months after January 8, 2002, the Secretary must tell the appropriate congressional committees which drafts were not finished and why. Set up a committee with only federal and tribal representatives. The Secretary must adapt the federal negotiated rulemaking process to respect the government-to-government relationship with tribes. Tribal members must be chosen from nominees by tribal and tribally operated schools and, as much as possible, reflect the share of students served. The work is paid from the Department of the Interior’s regular administrative funds and must cover reasonable committee expenses. These procedures override any conflicting old rules, and any changes to the rules must follow these same steps.