Cherokee Nation given a month on Freedmen

Friday, August 3, 2007  

An agreement that Rep. Dan Boren (D-Oklahoma) said would protect the Cherokee Nation's federal funding doesn't appear to have as much weight as he claimed.

Boren said members of the House Financial Services Committee agreed to delay legislation that would cut certain funds to the tribe until the tribal courts can resolve the citizenship of the Freedmen. But Rep. Melvin Watt (D-North Carolina) said he will only wait until Congress returns to work in September, giving the tribe just a month to address the issue.

"I think the Cherokee Nation is fully aware of the dilemma they face, having disenfranchised what is effectively about 2,900 former slaves and their descendants," Watt said at a committee meeting on Tuesday [Markup | Webcast].

Watt did agree to hold off on his amendment to prevent the tribe from receiving funds under H.R.2895, the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act. But he did not agree to wait until the tribal court issues a ruling and in fact said he was concerned that Chief Chad Smith, who advocated for the removal of the Freedmen, might have some influence in the judicial process.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), the chairman of the committee, said he appreciated Watt's stance. But he warned that the amendment, if it were introduced, would pass "by a very large margin."

Get the Story:
Cherokee Funds Bill Delayed Pending Court Decision (The Northwest Arkansas Morning News 8/2)

Cherokee-Related Legislation:
H.R.2895 | H.R.2824 | H.R.3002

BIA Letters:
July 11, 2007 | June 22, 2007 | May 21, 2007 | March 28, 2007 | August 30, 2006

Sovereign Immunity Court Decision:
Vann v. Kempthorne (December 19, 2006)

Cherokee Nation Judicial Appeals Tribunal Decision in Freedmen Case:
Allen v. Cherokee Nation (March 7, 2006)

Relevant Links:
Cherokee Nation - http://www.cherokee.org
Freedmen Of The Five Civilized Tribes - http://www.freedmen5tribes.com
Freedmen Conference - http://www.freedmenconference.com

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