Department of the
Interior
Departmental Manual
Effective Date: 9/27/06
Series: Organization
Part 110: Office of the Secretary
Chapter 8: Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian
Affairs
Originating Office: Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian
Affairs
110 DM 8
8.1 General. The Office of the Assistant Secretary -
Indian Affairs is headed by an Assistant Secretary. The Assistant Secretary discharges the duties
assigned by the Secretary and provides direction and leadership over the Office
of the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and
the Bureau of Indian Education. The
Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs (see attached
organization chart) includes the following:
8.2 Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary -
Indian Affairs. The Principal Deputy
Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs serves as the first assistant and
principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs in the
development and interpretation of program policies affecting Indian
Affairs. The Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary - Indian Affairs manages, directs, and coordinates functions to
strengthen the government-to-government relationship with Indian tribes and
Alaska Native villages in support of the Federal policy of Indian
Self-Determination; and discharges the duties assigned by the Assistant
Secretary - Indian Affairs.
A. Office of
External Affairs. The office reviews
and coordinates legislative planning and congressional relations for Indian
Affairs. The office provides legislative
research and assistance in planning, developing, drafting, and analyzing
proposed legislation; coordinates its work with the Office of Congressional and
Legislative Affairs in the Office of the Secretary, to ensure consistency of
Departmental communications with Congress; prepares speeches and articles for
key Indian Affairs officials; issues news releases on major developments;
provides general publications and multi-media materials in support of Indian
Affairs; serves as liaison and coordinates public affairs activities and news
releases with the Office of Communications in the Office of the Secretary.
B. Office of
Federal Acknowledgment. The office
reviews petitions and documentation submitted by groups seeking Federal recognition
and makes recommendations to the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs on
whether the petitioners should be granted status as federally recognized Indian
tribes; coordinates activities with affected internal and external
organizations to ensure that views and/or concerns are addressed. The office works closely with Departmental
staff to maintain liaison with the media, the public, and other Federal and
State agencies.
8.3 Deputy Assistant Secretary - Policy
and Economic Development. The Deputy Assistant Secretary - Policy and Economic
Development reports to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary - Indian
Affairs and exercises the oversight responsibilities of the Assistant Secretary
- Indian Affairs for the regulation of Indian gaming and for the management and
operations of self-governance initiatives.
The Deputy Assistant Secretary is also responsible for expanding
reservation business opportunities and Indian employment with emphasis on the
development of their energy and mineral resources on trust lands; providing
oversight of initiatives designed to assist tribes in developing stronger
reservation and/or tribal economies; developing policies and procedures for job
placement and training under the Indian Employment Training and Related Services
Demonstration Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-477), as amended and providing credit under
the Indian Financing Act of 1974. In
addition, the Deputy Assistant Secretary serves as the primary Departmental
representative to international and multi-agency organizations, work groups,
and task forces that impact Indian Affairs, and provides executive leadership,
guidance, coordination and direction to the following offices.
A. Office
of Indian Gaming. The office is
responsible for the development of policies and procedures used for
implementation of gaming-related activities authorized by the Indian Gaming
Regulatory Act and other Federal laws and coordinating development of all
related policies and procedures with affected offices. Other areas of responsibility include, but are
not limited to: tribal/State compacts,
per capita distributions of gaming revenues, and requests to take land into
trust for the purpose of conducting gaming. The office coordinates its work with the
National Indian Gaming Commission and with State, local, and tribal governments
impacted by gaming proposals.
B. Office
of Self-Governance. The office is
responsible for implementing Title IV of the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act (P.L. 93-638), as amended. The office develops and implements
regulations, policies, and guidance in support of Self-Governance initiatives;
facilitates the negotiation of annual funding agreements with eligible tribes
and consortia; coordinates the collection of budget and performance data from
Self-Governance tribes; and resolves issues that are identified in financial
and program audits of Self-Governance operations.
C. Office
of Indian Energy and Economic Development.
The office formulates policies and procedures with a view to removing
barriers to reservation economic growth and assists tribes in developing
economic infrastructure, increasing business knowledge, increasing jobs and
businesses, increasing capital investment, and developing energy and mineral
resources. The office is responsible for providing support to tribes in the
development of their energy and mineral resources on trust lands and managing
special economic programs, grants, projects and initiatives to advance
reservation economies. In addition, the
office is responsible for implementing P.L. 102-477, as amended, as well as the
Indian Financing Act of 1974. The office
consists of the following divisions:
(1) Division
of Energy and Mineral Development. The
division provides management direction, policy guidance, oversight, and
technical support to tribes in the development of their energy and mineral
resources on trust lands. The division
provides assistance in technical, economic, and business matters to tribes for
development of their energy and mineral resources, including resource
assessments, geologic studies, economic analysis and market studies, and
promotion of this information to the oil and gas and mineral industry. The division coordinates energy and mineral
resources activities with other Federal, State, and local governmental
agencies, industry personnel, and tribal governments. The division is located in Denver,
Colorado.
(2) Division of Economic Development.
The division manages special economic programs, grants, projects and
initiatives, including the marketing of energy and mineral resources, to foster
strong, sustainable reservation economies.
To accomplish this, the division coordinates government and private
resources and facilitates the transfer of information and technology.
(3) Division of
Workforce Development. The division
provides vocational training and employment assistance to Indians to
improve skills; provides increased employment opportunities towards reducing
reliance on welfare programs; develops policies, procedures, and standards for
operation of the employment assistance and adult vocational training programs;
provides guidance, technical advice, and assistance to Bureau agencies and
field offices, tribes, and individual Indians; reviews and awards grants under
the P.L. 102-477, as amended; and provides statistical performance information
to funding agencies for inclusion in various reports.
(4) Division of Capital Investment. The
division is responsible for identifying and facilitating capital investment
opportunities for tribes and individual Indian entrepreneurs. The division provides access to
capital markets by coordinating with government capital programs and the
private investment community to address the capital needs of tribes and
individual Indian entrepreneurs. The division is also responsible for
managing the guaranteed loan program; including the approval and/or disapproval
of loan applications, loan cancellations, trust mortgages, and compromises; and
working as liaison with lending organizations, tribes, and Bureau credit
offices.
8.4 Deputy Assistant Secretary -
Management. The Deputy Assistant
Secretary - Management discharges the responsibilities of the Principal
Deputy Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs with regard to financial
management, strategic planning, workforce planning, Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA), human resources, equal opportunity, facilities,
environmental resources, cultural resources, safety management, and other
Administration initiatives for Indian Affairs.
The office is responsible for managing all headquarters and field
activities associated with the direction, coordination, support, operation,
continuity of operations and emergency planning of all homeland security
activities including physical security policy and management with internal and
external law enforcement agencies and programs; ensuring that all Indian
Affairs organizations are in compliance with Federal laws and regulations
related to equal employment, affirmative employment, Indian preference, hiring,
and a discrimination-free working environment; and providing a full range of
management support functions related to alternative strategies for dealing with
conflict. In addition, the office is
responsible for correspondence control functions; and the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) operational activities that include receiving,
distributing, and tracking FOIA requests for Indian Affairs. The office of the Deputy Assistant
Secretary - Management includes:
A. Office of
the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO).
The office is headed by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) who serves as
the principal financial management advisor to the Assistant Secretary -
Indian Affairs and other senior Indian Affairs officials. The CFO is the primary conduit to the Department’s
financial management community. The CFO
also serves as the head of the contracting activity, the senior Indian Affairs
acquisition official, the audit liaison officer, and the management control
coordinator for Indian Affairs. The OCFO
interfaces with appropriate Congressional staff on budget issues and is
responsible for budget formulation and execution; financial management,
including loan and construction accounting; power and irrigation billings and
collections; acquisition and grants; and property and space management
activities. The OCFO also manages and
monitors the Activity Based Costing/Management program for Indian Affairs. The OCFO prepares the Indian Affairs
financial statements and is the primary liaison with the Department’s Office of
Inspector General. The OCFO ensures
financial management is consistent with requirements of the Chief Financial
Officers Act, Government Performance and Results Act, Office of Management and
Budget guidance, Department of the Treasury, General Accounting Office and
Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board.
The CFO oversees and directs the Capital Asset Investment Board for
Indian Affairs and provides approved projects to the Department for inclusion
in budget submissions. The OCFO is the
system owner for all BIA financial management systems, including those that
interface to the Indian Affairs Federal Financial System, as well as the loan
accounting and power and irrigation billing and collection systems. The activities of the OCFO are largely guided
by the Chief Financial Officers Act, Federal Managers Financial Integrity Act,
Government Performance and Results Act, Government Management Reform Act, Debt
Collection Improvement Act, and Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board
guidelines and pronouncements. The CFO
is assisted by a Deputy CFO and the following offices:
(1) Office
of Budget Management (OBM) provides senior leadership, policy and oversight
of all budget formulation and execution functions. OBM is responsible for developing, managing
and implementing budget policy, procedures, processes and systems to
effectively execute all budget functions required under OMB guidelines. The office also ensures effective
implementation of the Chief Financial Officers Act and coordinates with all
Indian Affairs component activities to ensure effective integration of
performance goals and the budget process.
(2) Office
of Acquisition and Property Management (OAPM) provides senior leadership;
develops, manages, and implements policy; and provides oversight for all
acquisition, grants, cooperative agreements, and property functions. The office is also responsible for developing
and implementing procedures, processes, and systems to effectively execute all
acquisition, grants, cooperative agreements, and property functions required
under OMB, the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB), and other
appropriate regulatory guidelines.
(3) Office
of Financial Management (OFM) provides senior leadership, policy and
oversight of all fiscal and accounting functions. OFM is responsible for developing, managing
and implementing fiscal and accounting policy, procedures, processes and
systems to effectively execute all fiscal and accounting functions required
under OMB, Treasury, FASAB, and other appropriate regulatory guidelines. The office also directs and manages financial
statement preparation and issuance.
(4) Office
of Audit and Evaluation (OAE) provides leadership, policy development, and
oversight for all audit functions and ensures compliance with the Single Audit
Act and OMB Circular A-133. The office
also serves as liaison for Indian Affairs organizations to the Office of
Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office. OAE provides guidance and assistance to Indian
Affairs organizations in establishing, testing, and reporting on the
effectiveness of management controls, the preparation of annual assurance
statements, and the timely correction of identified weaknesses. OAE is responsible for bureau program updates
to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance and directs and manages a quality
assurance program for compliance with applicable OMB, Treasury, and FASAB
requirements.
B. The Office
of Planning and Policy Analysis coordinates development of strategic plans
and annual performance reports in support of the Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA). The office also
determines the reliability of performance measures, and evaluates Indian
Affairs programs for effectiveness. The
office is responsible for providing guidance and technical assistance to all
programs under the purview of the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary -
Indian Affairs to ensure compliance with Administration initiatives. The office provides assistance for the
development of manuals that set forth program and administrative policies of
Indian Affairs and handbooks documenting operating procedures. It is responsible for publishing and
maintaining the Indian Affairs Manual and reviews all notices and rules that
are prepared for publication in the Federal Register.
C. Office of
Human Capital Management is responsible for the development of
comprehensive policies to guide all aspects of human resources management, such
as workforce analysis and succession planning, classification and position
management, employee development, staffing, and retention, employee relations,
labor relations, ethics, and personnel information systems. It is also responsible for the administration
of the personnel security and suitability program for all Indian Affairs
organizations. The office provides
direct supervision over the field human resources offices. Other responsibilities include monitoring and
evaluating the equal employment and Indian preference laws for staffing,
promotions, reassignments, and transfers for employees in the Office of the
Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and
the Bureau of Indian Education.
D.
Office of Facilities, Environmental, and Cultural Resources is
responsible for the management and administration of Indian Affairs facilities
management and construction, environmental management, safety and risk
management, and cultural resources management programs.
8.5 Chief Information Officer (CIO)
discharges the responsibilities of the Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary - Indian Affairs for acquisition, utilization, architecture,
security, operations and management of information resources (IRM) and
information technology (IT) for all Indian Affairs; i.e., Office of the
Assistant Secretary and the Bureaus of Indian Affairs and Indian Education. This includes leading Indian Affairs
strategic planning to improve the use of information and information processing
resources, developing policies promoting the effective use of information technology
and resources throughout Indian Affairs in consultation with Indian Affairs
Program Directors, and developing effective working relationships with IRM
organizations in the Department. The
office supervises field IT and IRM staff and manages all Indian Affairs
information resources and technology; provides direction and oversight for
Indian Affairs information system security activities, E-Government activities,
and the development and implementation of the Indian Affairs policies on the
creation and disposition of information; and ensures standardized IT and IRM
functions within Indian Affairs to achieve continuity of IT and IRM
accountability throughout the organization.
The following offices are under the direction of and assist the CIO in
carrying out the IRM responsibilities:
A. Office of
Information Policy develops policies and guidance on information resources
and technology management; manages the Indian Affairs information collection
program; approves and reports on computer matching activities; and manages the
Indian Affairs policy for managing printing, records, and mail. The Office of Information Policy coordinates
with tribes on the identification of Federal records and acquisition and is
responsible for Indian Affairs compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, the Computer Matching and Privacy Act of 1988, the Computer Security Act
of 1987, the National Archives and Records Administration Act of 1984, the
Competition in Contracting Act of 1984, the Federal Records Act of 1950, OMB
Circular A-130: Management of Federal
Information Resources, the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA), and the
Freedom of Information Act.
B. Office of
Information Planning coordinates the Indian Affairs strategic planning,
portfolio management, and budgeting processes for information technology;
provides capital planning and investment support to assure that Indian Affairs
plans support Indian Affairs business planning and mission accomplishments;
coordinates the activities of the Information Technology Investment Council
(ITIC); provides leadership for special priority initiatives; and develops the
IT five year plan. The office is also
responsible for administrative support and planning within IT and manages IT
funds for cross-functional and infrastructure projects. It also ensures Indian Affairs compliance
with the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 (the Clinger
Cohen Act), and OMB Circular A-130:
Management of Federal Information Resources.
C. Office of
Information Architecture and Engineering develops policies and guidelines
addressing Internet technologies, enterprise information, and IT architecture;
coordinates with agencies through working groups and seminars to promote a
partnership with business partners; and provides oversight and control of data,
software, and hardware assets. The
office oversees Indian Affairs business data applications, technical and
security architecture from baseline through transition, and is responsible for
establishing database standards, technical references, and engineering
assistance for projects. The office is
also responsible for implementing Indian Affairs architectural and engineering
compliance with the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 (the
Clinger Cohen Act), the Computer Security Act of 1987, the National Archives
and Records Administration Act of 1984, OMB Circular A-130: Management of Federal Information Resources,
and the Government Information Security Reform Act of 2000.
D. Office of
Information Security and Privacy implements and administers a program to
protect the information resources of
Indian Affairs in compliance with Federal legislation; monitors cyber
security policies and guidance for Indian Affairs; monitors all Indian Affairs
systems development and operations for security and privacy compliance;
monitors program office information system security activities; develops,
implements, and evaluates employee cyber security awareness and training
programs; establishes and leads the Indian Affairs Computer Security Incident
Response Capability team; monitors IT certification and accreditation; and
establishes guidance and training requirements for managers of information
systems designated as sensitive. The
office is also responsible for implementing Indian Affairs security and privacy
compliance with the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 (the
Clinger Cohen Act), the Computer Matching and Privacy Act of 1988, the Computer
Security Act of 1987, OMB Circular A-130:
Management of Federal Information Resources, the Government Information
Security Reform Act of 2000, Presidential Decision Direction 63 Critical
Infrastructure Protection, and Continuity of Operations (COOP).
E. Office of
Information Development recommends and implements the development of Web
based applications for the Internet and intranet, palm device attachment
applications, and other applications for databases, communications, wireless
solutions, and emerging and enabling technologies. The office also assists in developing
business process reengineering solutions and supports Indian Affairs IT
business.
9/27/06 #3735
Replaces 8/29/06 #3714