May 4 2015 Chairmans Notes

Posoh Nec-Omaeqnomenewak, greetings my Fellow Menominee. The MTL main standing committees have been filled with regularly scheduled monthly meetings underway. The Legislature is receiving recommendations from Committees regularly now. On behalf of the Tribal Legislature, I encourage tribal members to attend the committee meetings, Casino Board (MIGA), Powwow Committee, and Joint Committee meetings. Your attendance and input is valuable and important to the Legislature, but more importantly to the Community. The Committee level is where most of our tribal ordinances (or laws) begin. I will try to summarize some of the events and issues in progress or that may have come up since last update, which occurred on March 17th. Several of the events of note include: March 23rd– I attended the meeting of the 11-tribe Caucus and then the State-Tribal Relations Committee. I serve as our tribe’s member on the “State-Tribal Relations Committee”, a study committee of the bi-partisan Wisconsin Joint Legislative Council (JLC). Our State Tribal Relations Committee (STRC) is designed to create legislative proposals regarding issues brought forward by any or all of the 11 sovereign tribes of Wisconsin that will be proposed as new legislation, or law, in the Wisconsin Legislature. Currently we are proposing several items, including mandatory recognition in Wisconsin for our tribal ID’s for all purposes that the state now mandates State ID’s/Drivers licenses. We are also proposing state funding assistance for the two tribal colleges in Wisconsin in order to provide for the increasing population of non-natives students choosing Tribal Colleges for their post-secondary educational needs. We are also examining the ability for any tribe or tribal college in Wisconsin to sponsor a charter school. All three listed proposals stand a good chance of approval. The state’s budget is in bad shape, so most of our proposals use gaming monies they collect from tribes as the funding source. March 25th– I spoke at the 2nd Annual Menominee Youth Empowerment Program (MYEP), which is based out of CMN. This grant program helps our tribal youth by mentoring/following selected students all the way through high school, helping them and preparing them for college or whatever their goals are for success after high school. The parents and students love the program and we can see the positive effects of this program in its second year of operation. March 25, 30, and 31st – I, along with key staff met with Wisconsin DNR officials to discuss issues of concern for Menominee and the State that we might jointly work on. On the 30th, I met at Midwest Regional Office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs with BIA and US Fish & Wildlife Officials regarding the Balsam Row Dam and future sturgeon passage. To follow-up on this meeting, Key staff and myself also met again with WDNR on the 31st regarding both fish passage and other tribal environmental concerns. We are making progress on many fronts, and our Environmental Services and Tribal Conservation departments are keeping these agencies to task. April 1, 2, and 17th – I met several times this month regarding a Tribal Waiver to allow the tribe to assume control of the Long Term Care for elderly and disabled Menominee that are currently being served by the county and tribe. Receiving this waiver will allow the Aging Department to provide additional services to eligible individuals. Please call Denise Pommer at Aging Department for more information. April 7th – I met with our new General Manager for the Wolf River Development Company, Rick Warrington. The WRDC will be charged with improving the economic opportunities and creating businesses and jobs here on and around the reservation. We are very excited about the WRDC and how they can create business opportunities and jobs. If you have ideas or contacts for Rick, please stop at Tribal Offices to see him. April 8th – I spoke at Menominee Indian Middle School (MIMS) regarding an award they received from the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) for humanitarian education, in this case the attention to personal and cultural education. Waewaenen to the MIMS parents, volunteers, administration and staff for providing the relevant education our children deserve when they attend a public school. April 18th – I attended Sturgeon Feast Powwow to give welcome and speak for this year’s honorees, which were those involved with the “March to Madison.” The honoring centered on the marchers who did the entire march, but also honored those who participated in any way, marching even a step along the way, or serving food, or contributing in any way. The powwow was filmed by the Discover Mediaworks, which will be highlighted as a portion of our segment on Discover Wisconsin television program featuring the Wolf River in 2016. Several other items include the first hearing (1st consideration) regarding a “Tribal Ordinance 15-06 Industrial Hemp” was held at the last MTL meeting on April 16th. A public hearing will be held at 3:00 p.m. on April 30th, with the Final Approval of this ordinance to possibly be decided at the May 7th meeting of the Menominee Tribal Legislature. We also continue to research any Marijuana legalization/business opportunities, but since this is such a complex issue and we need to get it right if we decide to go any further, we must continue to answer our own questions before we can report anything to you. As far as Kenosha is concerned, we are still working on next steps and hopefully can report something to you by June. We have several other great opportunities the tribe is working on now, and I hope I can report on them soon when we have more certainty. In closing, be thankful that you and those beside you were blessed to have lived another winter. Remember as we pray to include our sick, elderly, soldiers, and all those others who need our prayers. Chairman Gary Besaw

Gary Besaw

  

Date: 5/4/2015