LTBB Chair Gina Gasco-Bentley: “Tribe seeks to protect own, not control others”
Lance Boldrey: “Tribe seeks to reshape governance of region”
More details on Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians v. Snyder (W.D. Mich.) here.
Michigan Indian
New Scholarship on the Sixth Circuit’s NLRB Tribal Jurisdiction Cases
Riley Plumer has published “Overriding Tribal Sovereignty by Applying the National Labor Relations Act to Indian Tribes inSoaring Eagle Casino and Resort v. National Labor Relations Board” in Law & Inequality.
Fred Kiogima: “Guest commentary — Tribe’s lawsuit is not about taking property”
In the Petoskey News-Review here.
An excerpt:
In closing, Mr. Carlson, as you are a former mayor of Petoskey and a contributing columnist for the Petoskey News-Review, you should be well aware that facts are the most important detail. Mr. Carlson, I can assure you that the Odawa are a resilient people. We have been here for tens of thousands of years. We are Anishinaabek (the original people). Our language is Anishinaabemowin and we strive every day to not forget who we are and pass it on to our binoojiinhak (children).
As Americans, we have just witnessed a divisive and racially charged presidential election. We in Northern Michigan should strive to be more neighborly, inclusive and understanding of each other. We work together, pray together, suffer together, our children even play together. The Odawa language is taught in high school and at North Central Michigan College.
Yes, we are family, and if we all strive to be good and better neighbors, listen and learn from one another without judgment, then we all win.
Mino-biimadziwin.
Gun Lake Tribe Tribal Administrator Posting
Summary Judgment Briefing in Bay Mills Indian Community v. Snyder
Here are the materials in Bay Mills Indian Community v. Snyder (W.D. Mich.):
47-saginaw-chippewa-motion-to-intervene
Burt Lake Ottawa & Chippewa Indians Sue Interior over Federal Recognition
Here are the materials so far in Burt Lake Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians v. Jewell (D.D.C.):
Update:
NHBP Shared Revenue to Help Michigan Schools Scrap Native Mascots
Link: New state-tribe agreement may help schools nix Native American mascots by Emily Lawler from MLive.
The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi and the State of Michigan amended their gaming compact to allow up to $500,000 to be put in the Michigan Native American Heritage Fund:
The federal government on Dec. 12, 2016 approved another amendment that puts a portion of state revenue sharing into a special fund dedicated to promoting understanding, history and good relationships with the state’s Native Americans.
One use could be for monetary help transitioning schools away from Native American mascots.
“This fund demonstrates our commitment to providing Michigan schools, colleges and universities with the funds needed to improve curricula and resources related to Native American issues and mascot revisions,” said NHBP Tribal Chair Jamie Stuck in a press release. “We understand that schools often don’t have funds available for these types of projects and we are dedicated to removing that obstacle.”
Up to $500,000 per year from the tribe’s revenue sharing to the state could go into the new Michigan Native American Heritage Fund. It will be run by a board consisting of two people appointed by the tribe, two people appointed by the governor and also the Michigan Department of Civil Rights Director or his designee.
ACLU: Michigan voter ID bill and what you can do to help today/this weekend
Friends,
As you are aware, a strict voter ID bill is currently being rammed through the Michigan legislature. It has passed the House and will be considered by the Senate next week. The bill will be before the Senate Elections Committee on Tuesday, and it could reach the Senate floor potentially as early as that day, or on Wednesday or Thursday (the last day of session). I am told that it would be most effective if pressure were applied directly to certain key Senators (listed below), through an avalanche of both e-mails and phone calls. Also, note that all State Senators in Michigan are up for reelection in 2018.
Michigan voter IDs are issued out of the SOS branch offices (https://services2.sos.state.mi.us/servicelocator/), not the DMV, and I am told that Senators from rural areas may be particularly moved by communications from constituents (or others) describing the difficulties of travelling to the remote SOS office especially if they are only open during limited hours. Of course, constituents and others should feel free to include any other argument against voter IDs, reminding them about the disproportionate impact that these laws have on racial minorities, including the fact that nearly half of the 18,000 votes cast by affidavit were from Wayne County, which is about 40% African American (compared to 14% statewide), or any other written materials about the disparate impact of voter ID laws. Note that the bill does not require ID for mail-in absentee ballots, and in Michigan anyone age 60 years or older or persons with disabilities (persons “unable to vote without assistance at the polls”) can vote absentee, but emphasizing the importance to many elderly persons or persons with disabilities of being able to cast a ballot in person may also be helpful.
Because the Senate Committee meeting has not been formally scheduled yet, written comments cannot yet be sent to the committee clerk for inclusion in the record (that probably will not happen until Monday at which point I can let folks know), but comments can of course be made directly to the Senators right now.
Senate Elections Committee
- David Robertson (R) Committee Chair, 14th District, 517-373-1636, sendrobertson@senate.michigan.gov
- Patrick Colbeck (R) Vice Chair, 7th District, 517-373-7350, senpcolbeck@senate.michigan.gov
- Judy K Emmons (R) 33rd District, 517-373-3760, senjemmons@senate.michigan.gov
- Mike Shirkey (R) 16th District, 517-373-5932, senmshirkey@senate.michigan.gov
- Morris W Hood III (D) Minority Vice Chair, 3rd District, 517-373-0990, senmhood@senate.michigan.gov
Senators with rural districts (In order of priority)
District 38 – Tom Casperson, 517-373-7840, Sentcasperson@senate.michigan.gov
District 37 – Wayne Schmidt, 517-373-2413, senwschmidt@senate.michigan.gov
District 36 – Jim Stamas, 517-373-7946, senjstamas@senate.michigan.gov
District 35 – Darwin Booher, 517-373-1725, sendbooher@senate.michigan.gov
District 19 – Mike Nofs, 517-373-2426, senmnofs@senate.michigan.gov
District 26 – Tonya Schuitmaker, 517-373-0793, sentschuitmaker@senate.michigan.gov
District 34 – Goeff Hansen, 517-373-1635, senghansen@senate.michigan.gov
District 33 – Judy Emmons, 517-373-3760, senjemmons@senate.michigan.gov
District 31 – Mike Green, 517-373-1777, senmgreen@senate.michigan.gov
District 21 – John Proos, 517-373-6960, senjproos@senate.michigan.gov
District 25 – Phil Pavlov, 517-373-7708, senppavlov@senate.michigan.gov
District 16 – Mike Shirkey, 517-373-5932, senmshirkey@senate.michigan.gov
District 17 – Dale Zorn, 517-373-3543, sendzorn@senate.michigan.gov
Onward,
Voting Rights Project
ACLU
Feds Acquire Indiana Land in Trust for Pokagon Band
Here:
Michigan Court of Appeals Finds Law Adding Wolves to List of Game Species Unconstitutional
The unpublished opinion is here. The Court found that Public Act 281 (which added wolves to the list of game species) violated the Title-Object Clause of the Michigan Constitution.
PA 281 was passed with the provision that kept portions of certain voter referendums even if voters rejected them: “In other words, even if voters rejected PA 520 and PA 21 at the general election, those portions of the rejected laws that were incorporated into PA 281 would nevertheless survive. … At the November 4, 2014 general election, a majority of voters rejected both PA 520 and PA 21. PA 281, which reenacted portions of voter-rejected PA 520 and PA 21, including the addition of wolf to the list of game species, took effect on March 31, 2015.”
Previous coverage here.
Turtle Talk 
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