The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has adopted a Tribal Consultation Policy that applies to all HHS Divisions and includes SAMHSA. The HHS Tribal Consultation Policy (PDF | 190 KB) directs Divisions to establish a process to ensure accountable, meaningful, and timely input by Tribal officials in the development of policies that have Tribal implications.
The President also signed an Executive Memorandum entitled "Government-to-Government Relationship with Tribal Governments", reaffirming this government-to-government relationship with Indian Tribes on September 23, 2004. In response to these directives, SAMHSA is establishing the SAMHSA TTAC. The SAMHSA TTAC charter complies with the statutory provisions set forth at 2 U.S.C. § 1534(b)(1) & (2), and therefore will not implicate the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).