House Committee Advances Golden Bill to Give Wabanaki Nations Equal Access to Future Beneficial Federal Laws and Programs

Statement

The House Natural Resources Committee today advanced H.R. 6707, the Advancing Equality for Wabanaki Nations Act, with bipartisan support. The bill, introduced earlier this year by Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) and cosponsored by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01), would update federal law to give Wabanaki tribes the same access to future beneficial federal laws as nearly every other federally recognized tribe in America.

"This legislation allows the Maine tribes to be treated the same as the other 570 federally recognized tribes across the country under any future laws passed by Congress. It is a forward thinking bill that has bipartisan support in Maine. We thank Representatives Golden and Pingree for leading the effort, and Chairman Grijalva for bringing the bill up for a vote, and hope to have a vote by the full House of Representatives soon," said Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis.

"The experimental policy known as the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 is a failed one. We have forty-two years of litigation, policy failures, and transgressions against the tribes to prove it's time to move forward," said Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk Chief William Nicholas.

"We thank Congressman Golden for his willingness to place legislation in front of Congress to alter the Settlement Act federally for the first time in over forty years. His willingness to engage and advocate for the tribes in Maine is deeply appreciated, " said Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians Chief Clarissa Sabattis

"We thank Congressman Golden for leading on tribal issues not just in Maine but nationally. He understands that when tribes prosper, Maine and the United States prosper. We are stronger supporting one another than dividing one another," said Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik Chief Maggie Dana.

"Congressman Golden understands the importance of fairness and fighting for those to have a seat at the table. That is who he is and how he has governed. Today he is pulling up a chair for the tribes at the decision-making table and we thank him for his support," said Mi'kmaq Nation Chief Edward Peter Paul.

The bill was introduced by Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) and is cosponsored by Representatives Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Congressional Native American Caucus Co-Chair Sharice Davids (KS-03), Chuy García (IL-04), Darren Soto (FL-09), Jim Costa (CA-16), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Ed Case (HI-01), and Lori Trahan (MA-03). It has been endorsed by the Native American Rights Fund, the National Indian Child Welfare Association, and the National Congress of American Indians. The U.S. Department of the Interior also supports the bill. Four chiefs of Wabanaki tribes in Maine appeared before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples to testify on behalf of the bill in March. In today's markup, the bill was supported by a bipartisan majority of House Natural Resources Committee members.

"After months of close collaboration with Wabanaki tribal leaders, we are a big step closer to better economic opportunity and basic fairness for the Wabanaki nations in Maine," said Golden. "This bill will grant Wabanaki tribes the same access to crucial future federal support and protections as every other federally-recognized tribe, and I'm honored to work with the tribes to push for it to become law."

"Securing approval from the House Natural Resources Committee today is a promising step towards fixing the disparity that has uniquely challenged Maine's tribes for decades," said Congresswoman Pingree. "Once our Advancing Equality for Wabanaki Nations Act is passed into law, Maine's Wabanaki tribes will finally gain access to future federal programs that the other 570 federally recognized tribes in this country benefit from. Simply put, it's a matter of fairness."

Currently, the Wabanaki tribes in Maine are excluded from many beneficial federal laws that apply to nearly every other federally recognized tribe in the country. Examples of laws that the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act (MICSA) has prevented from applying to the Wabanaki tribes in the past include the Violence Against Women Act, which allows tribes to prosecute non-Indian defendants for domestic violence crimes against tribal members; the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which allows tribes to employ much-needed medical professionals who are licensed in another state; and the Stafford Act, which allows tribes to directly seek federal disaster relief and emergency assistance.

H.R. 6707 would address this exclusion by amending MICSAto allow the Wabanaki tribes to benefit from future laws enacted to benefit Indian tribes.

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