83.5—Duties of the Department.
(a)
The Department shall publish in the Federal Register, no less frequently than every three years, a list of all Indian tribes entitled to receive services from the Bureau by virtue of their status as Indian tribes. The list may be published more frequently, if the Assistant Secretary deems it necessary.
(b)
The Assistant Secretary shall make available revised and expanded guidelines for the preparation of documented petitions by September 23, 1994. These guidelines will include an explanation of the criteria and other provisions of the regulations, a discussion of the types of evidence which may be used to demonstrate particular criteria or other provisions of the regulations, and general suggestions and guidelines on how and where to conduct research. The guidelines may be supplemented or updated as necessary. The Department's example of a documented petition format, while preferable, shall not preclude the use of any other format.
(c)
The Department shall, upon request, provide petitioners with suggestions and advice regarding preparation of the documented petition. The Department shall not be responsible for the actual research on behalf of the petitioner.
(d)
Any notice which by the terms of these regulations must be published in the Federal Register, shall also be mailed to the petitioner, the governor of the state where the group is located, and to other interested parties.
(e)
After an Indian group has filed a letter of intent requesting Federal acknowledgment as an Indian tribe and until that group has actually submitted a documented petition, the Assistant Secretary may contact the group periodically and request clarification, in writing, of its intent to continue with the petitioning process.
(f)
All petitioners under active consideration shall be notified, by April 16, 1994, of the opportunity under § 83.3(g) to choose whether to complete their petitioning process under the provisions of these revised regulations or the previous regulations as published, on September 5, 1978, at 43 FR 39361.
(g)
All other groups that have submitted documented petitions or letters of intent shall be notified of and provided with a copy of these regulations by July 25, 1994.