Indian Employment and Training Improvement Act of 1997

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Indian Employment and Training 
Improvement Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. PLAN REVIEW.

    The third sentence of section 7 of the Indian Employment, Training 
and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992 (25 U.S.C. 3406) is 
amended by striking ``shall have the authority to waive any'' and 
inserting ``shall waive any statutory requirement,''.

SEC. 3. PLAN APPROVAL.

    Section 8 of the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services 
Demonstration Act of 1992 (25 U.S.C. 3407) is amended--
            (1) in the first sentence, by inserting before the period 
        at the end the following: ``(including any request for a waiver 
        that is made as part of the plan submitted by the tribal 
        government)''; and
            (2) in the second sentence, by inserting before the period 
        at the end the following: ``, including reconsidering the 
        disapproval of any waiver requested by the Indian tribe''.

SEC. 4. JOB CREATION ACTIVITIES.

    Section 9 of the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services 
Demonstration Act of 1992 (25 U.S.C. 3408) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``The plan 
        submitted''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) Employment Opportunities.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, including any requirement of a program that is integrated 
        under a plan under this Act, a tribal government may use a 
        percentage of the funds made available under this Act (as 
        determined under paragraph (2)) for the creation of employment 
        opportunities, including providing private sector training 
        placement under section 10.
            ``(2) Determination of percentage.--The percentage of funds 
        that a tribal government may use under this subsection is the 
        greater of--
                    ``(A) the rate of unemployment in the area subject 
                to the jurisdiction of the tribal government; or
                    ``(B) 10 percent.''.

SEC. 5. FEDERAL RESPONSIBILITIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 11(a) of the Indian Employment, Training 
and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992 (25 U.S.C. 3410(a)) is 
amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking 
        ``Bureau of Indian Affairs'' and inserting ``Office of Self-
        Governance of the Department of the Interior'';
            (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period and inserting 
        ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) ensuring an orderly transition with respect to the 
        administration of the programs integrated under the project in 
        such manner as to eliminate any potential adverse effects of 
        the project on any Indian tribe that--
                    ``(A) has entered into a self-determination 
                contract (as that term is defined in section 4(j) of 
                the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
                Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(j))); or
                    ``(B) receives funding under this Act.''.
    (b) Personnel.--In carrying out the amendment made by subsection 
(a)(1), the Secretary of the Interior shall transfer from the Bureau of 
Indian Affairs to the Office of Self-Governance of the Department of 
the Interior such personnel and resources as the Secretary determines 
to be appropriate.

SEC. 6. ASSIGNMENT OF FEDERAL PERSONNEL TO STATE INDIAN ECONOMIC 
              DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS.

    Section 18 of the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services 
Demonstration Act of 1992 (25 U.S.C. 3417) is amended--
            (1) by striking the section heading and inserting the 
        following:

``SEC. 18. ASSIGNMENT OF FEDERAL PERSONNEL TO INDIAN ECONOMIC 
              DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS.'';

        and
            (2) by inserting ``or Indian tribe'' after ``State'' each 
        place it appears.

SEC. 7. CONSOLIDATED ADVISORY COMMITTEES.

    The Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Demonstration 
Act of 1992 (25 U.S.C. 3401 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:

``SEC. 19. CONSOLIDATED ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

    ``(a) In General.--The head of each Federal agency specified in 
section 4 that otherwise has jurisdiction over a program that is 
integrated under this Act (in accordance with a plan under section 6) 
shall permit a tribal government that carries out that plan to 
establish a consolidated advisory committee to carry out the duties of 
each advisory committee that would otherwise be required under 
applicable law (including any council or commission relating to private 
industry) to carry out the programs integrated under the plan.
    ``(b) Waivers.--As necessary to carry out paragraph (1), each 
agency head referred to in that paragraph shall waive any statutory 
requirement, regulation, or policy requiring the establishment of an 
advisory committee (including any advisory commission or council).''.

SEC. 8. ALASKA REGIONAL CONSORTIA.

    The Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Demonstration 
Act of 1992 (25 U.S.C. 3401 et seq.), as amended by section 7 of this 
Act, is further amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 20. ALASKA REGIONAL CONSORTIA.

    ``(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
subject to subsection (b), the Secretary shall permit a regional 
consortium of Alaska Native villages or regional or village 
corporations (as defined in or established under the Alaska Native 
Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.)) to carry out a project 
under a plan that meets the requirements of this Act through a 
resolution adopted by the governing body of each such entity.
    ``(b) Withdrawal.--Nothing in subsection (a) is intended to 
prohibit an Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation 
from withdrawing from participation in any portion of a program 
conducted pursuant to that subsection at any time after the plan for 
the program is implemented.''.

Summary: Indian Employment and Training Improvement Act of 1997 - Amends the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992 to, among other things: (1) allow Indian tribal governments to use a specified percentage of the funds made available under the Act for the creation of employment opportunities, including providing private sector training placement. (2) transfer lead agency responsibility for demonstration projects from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to the Office of Self-Governance of the Department of the Interior. And (3) revise the requirement regarding the assignment of Federal personnel to State Indian economic development programs to provide for Federal personnel assignments to Indian tribes with such programs. Sets forth requirements concerning: (1) Indian tribal government consolidated advisory committees, and (2) Alaska regional consortia.