Title 25—Indians--Volume 1
PART 62—ENROLLMENT APPEALS
§ 62.1   Definitions.
As used in these regulations:
Assistant Secretary means the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs or an authorized representative acting under delegated authority.
Bureau means the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the Department of the Interior.
Commissioner means the Commissioner of Indian Affairs or an authorized representative acting under delegated authority.
Department means the Department of the Interior.
Director means the Area Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs area office which has administrative jurisdiction over the local field office responsible for administering the affairs of a tribe, band, or group of Indians or an authorized representative acting under delegated authority.
Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior or an authorized representative acting under delegate authority.
Sponsor means any authorized person, including an attorney, who files an appeal on behalf of another person.
Superintendent means the official or other designated representative of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in charge of the field office which has immediate administrative responsibility with respect to the affairs of a tribe, band, or group of Indians or an authorized representative acting under delegated authority.
Tribal committee means the body of a federally recognized tribal entity vested with final authority to act on enrollment matters.
Tribal governing document means the written organizational statement governing a tribe, band or group of Indians and/or any valid document, enrollment ordinance or resolution enacted thereunder.
Tribal member means a person who meets the requirements for enrollment in a tribal entity and has been duly enrolled.
§ 62.2   Purpose.
(a) The regulations in this part are to provide procedures for the filing and processing of appeals from adverse enrollment actions by Bureau officials.
(b) The regulations in this part are not applicable and do not provide procedures for the filing of appeals from adverse enrollment actions by tribal committees, unless:
(1) The adverse enrollment action is incident to the preparation of a tribal roll subject to Secretarial approval; or
(2) An appeal to the Secretary is provided for in the tribal governing document.
§ 62.3   Information collection.
In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget regulations contained in 5 CFR 1320.3, approval of the information collection requirements contained in this part is not required.
§ 62.4   Who may appeal.
(a) A person who is the subject of an adverse enrollment action may file or have filed on his/her behalf an appeal. An adverse enrollment action is:
(1) The rejection of an application for enrollment by a Bureau official incident to the preparation of a roll for Secretarial approval;
(2) The removal of a name from a tribal roll by a Bureau official incident to review of the roll for Secretarial approval;
(3) The rejection of an application for enrollment or the disenrollment of a tribal member by a tribal committee when the tribal governing document provides for an appeal of the action to the Secretary;
(4) The change in degree of Indian blood by a tribal committee which affects a tribal member when the tribal governing document provides for an appeal of the action to the Secretary;
(5) The change in degree of Indian blood by a Bureau official which affects an individual; and
(6) The certification of degree of Indian blood by a Bureau official which affects an individual.
(b) A tribal committee may file an appeal as provided for in § 61.11 of this chapter.
(c) A sponsor may file an appeal on behalf of another person who is subject to an adverse enrollment action.
§ 62.5   An appeal.
(a) An appeal must be in writing and must be filed with the Bureau official designated in the notification of an adverse enrollment action, or in the absence of a designated official, with the Bureau official who issued the notification of an adverse enrollment action; or when the notification of an adverse action is made by a tribal committee with the Superintendent.
(b) An appeal may be on behalf of more than one person. However, the name of each appellant must be listed in the appeal.
(c) An appeal filed by mail or filed by personal delivery must be received in the office of the designated Bureau official or of the Bureau official who issued the notification of an adverse enrollment action by close of business within 30 days of the notification of an adverse enrollment action, except when the appeal is mailed from outside the United States, in which case the appeal must be received by the close of business within 60 days of the notification of an adverse enrollment action.
(d) The appellant or sponsor shall furnish the appellant's mailing address in the appeal. Thereafter, the appellant or sponsor shall promptly notify the Bureau official with whom the appeal was filed of any change of address, otherwise the address furnished in the appeal shall be the address of record.
(e) An appellant or sponsor may request additional time to submit supporting evidence. A period considered reasonable for such submissions may be granted by the Bureau official with whom the appeal is filed. However, no additional time will be granted for the filing of the appeal.
(f) In all cases where an appellant is represented by a sponsor, the sponsor shall be recognized as fully controlling the appeal on behalf of the appellant. Service of any document relating to the appeal shall be on the sponsor and shall be considered to be service on the appellant. Where an appellant is represented by more than one sponsor, service upon one of the sponsors shall be sufficient.
§ 62.6   Filing of an appeal.
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, a notification of an adverse enrollment action will be mailed to the address of record or the last available address and will be considered to have been made and computation of the appeal period shall begin on:
(1) The date of delivery indicated on the return receipt when notice of the adverse enrollment action has been sent by certified mail, return receipt requested; or
(2) Ten (10) days after the date of the decision letter to the individual when notice of the adverse enrollment action has not been sent by certified mail return receipt requested and the letter has not been returned by the post office; or
(3) The date the letter is returned by the post office as undelivered whether the notice of the adverse enrollment action has been sent by certified mail return receipt requested or by regular mail.
(b) When notification of an adverse enrollment action is under the regulations contained in part 61 of this chapter, computation of the appeal period shall be in accordance with § 61.11.
(c) In computing the 30 or 60 day appeal period, the count begins with the day following the notification of an adverse enrollment action and continues for 30 or 60 calendar days. If the 30th or 60th day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday, or other nonbusiness day, the appeal period will end on the first working day thereafter.
§ 62.7   Burden of proof.
(a) The burden of proof is on the appellant or sponsor. The appeal should include any supporting evidence not previously furnished and may include a copy or reference to any Bureau or tribal records having a direct bearing on the action.
(b) Criminal penalties are provided by statute for knowingly filing false or fraudulent information to an agency of the U.S. government (18 U.S.C. 1001).
§ 62.8   Advising the tribal committee.
Whenever applicable, the Superintendent or Director shall notify the tribal committee of the receipt of the appeal and shall give the tribal committee the opportunity to examine the appeal and to present such evidence as it may consider pertinent to the action being appealed. The tribal committee shall have not to exceed 30 days from receipt of notification of the appeal in which to present in writing such statements as if may deem pertinent, supported by any tribal records which have a bearing on the case. The Director or Superintendent may grant the tribal committee additional time, upon request, for its review.
§ 62.9   Action by the Superintendent.
When an appeal is from an adverse enrollment action taken by a Superintendent or tribal committee, the Superintendent shall acknowledge in writing receipt of the appeal and shall forward the appeal to the Director together with any relevant information or records; the recommendations of the tribal committee, when applicable; and his/her recommendations on the appeal.
§ 62.10   Action by the Director.
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, when an appeal is from an adverse enrollment action taken by a Superintendent or tribal committee, the Director will consider the record as presented together with such additional information as may be considered pertinent. Any additional information relied upon shall be specifically identified in the decision. The Director shall make a decision on the appeal which shall be final for the Department and which shall so state in the decision. The appellant or sponsor will be notified in writing of the decision. Provided that, the Director may waive his/her authority to make a final decision and forward the appeal to the Assistant Secretary for final action.
(b) When an appeal is from an adverse enrollment action taken by a Director, the Director shall acknowledge in writing receipt of the appeal and shall forward the appeal to the Assistant Secretary for final action together with any relevant information or records; the recommendations of the tribal committee, when applicable; and his/her recommendations.
(c) The Director shall forward the appeal to the Assistant Secretary for final action together with any relevant information or records; the recommendations of the tribal committee, when applicable; and his/her recommendations when the adverse enrollment action which is being appealed is either:
(1) The change in degree of Indian blood by a tribal committee which affects a tribal member and the tribal governing document provides for an appeal of the action to the Secretary; or
(2) The change in degree of Indian blood by a Bureau official which affects an individual.
§ 62.11   Action by the Assistant Secretary.
The Assistant Secretary will consider the record as presented, together with such additional information as may be considered pertinent. Any additional information relied upon shall be specifically identified in the decision. The Assistant Secretary shall make a decision on the appeal which shall be final for the Department and which shall so state in the decision. The appellant or sponsor will be notified in writing of the decision.
§ 62.12   Special instructions.
To facilitate the work of the Director, the Assistant Secretary may issue special instructions not inconsistent with the regulations in this part 62.