St. Paul, Minnesota- On Monday, at NCAI’s 2015 Mid Year Conference, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn announced a final rule to amend the regulatory process on how the Department of Interior officially recognizes Indian tribes. The ruling fulfills a promise to speed recognition and make the steps more transparent in a process that has long been considered broken.

Tribes putting forth their sovereign status for federal acknowledgment need to prove that they were a community that had a governing authority since 1900. Supporting documents can be placed online during the recognition process, with opportunity to file comments as the process moves forward.

Tribal Council officers Liana Onnen, Camilla Chouteau and Hattie Mitchell are attending the conference that runs until tomorrow.