Calls About Tax Rebate Keep IRS Busy

Only about 40 percent of the preprinted packages sent out before the reduction were used by taxpayers, IRS research showed.

Retirees may download Form 1040ES from www.irs.gov or call 1-800-829-3676 to obtain the form by mail, the IRS said.

Native Americans Win Suit

A federal judge has ruled that the secretary of the interior must give an edge to Native Americans for jobs within the Interior Department that primarily relate to providing services to Indians.

The lawsuit was brought by the Indian Educators Federation, a union that represents employees in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. The union alleged that Interior, starting in 1988, had moved hundreds of jobs from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to other Interior offices to avoid the Native American hiring requirement.

U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan, in a March 31 opinion, said that the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act requires the secretary to give a preference to members of recognized tribes when they apply for certain jobs. He noted that federal officials had defined the requirement to encompass all positions related to services for Indians before 1988.

Richard J. Hirn, the union's attorney, said the case had been in the courts for four years. Most jobs that will be opened to Native Americans are in Washington and in Albuquerque, he said.

An Interior Department spokesman was not available for a comment.

Stephen Barr's e-mail address is barrs@washpost.com.