§4412 Board of Trustees

Summary

Creates a Board of Trustees made up of 13 voting members and 6 nonvoting members. The President of the United States must pick the 13 voting members from private citizens who are Indians or experts in Indian art and culture. These members should show a mix of political views and skills (including finance, law, fine arts, and college administration). The President had to make those appointments no later than 180 days after October 17, 1986. The 6 nonvoting members are 2 House members chosen by the Speaker with input from the House Minority Leader, 2 Senators chosen by the President pro tempore on recommendations from the Senate leaders, the Institute’s President (ex officio), and the student body president (ex officio). The President must consult Indian tribes and Indian organizations, publish term-expiration notices at least 4 months ahead in the Federal Register, ask tribes and groups for names, try to get regional and tribal balance, and make sure a majority of the presidential appointees are Indians. Members of Congress on the Board may attend all meetings and give advice. Most board members serve 6-year terms. The first group had staggered terms (4 for 2 years, 4 for 4 years, 5 for 6 years). No appointed member may serve more than two back-to-back terms but may stay until a successor is named. Vacancies are filled for the rest of the term. Members can only be removed for good cause. The President picked the first Chair and Vice Chair for 12 months; after that the appointed members elect them for 2-year terms, and vacancies are filled by the Board. A majority of the appointed voting members makes a quorum unless bylaws say otherwise. The Board sets policy, runs the Institute, and makes rules. Appointed members are paid $125 per day when working and get travel pay like other intermittent federal employees. The Board can recommend extending a member’s term; if the President does not send a nomination to the Senate within 60 days after a term ends, that member is treated as reappointed for a full term, but the law prevents extensions that would leave fewer than 7 Indian members.