Assistant Secretary Kevin Washburn, the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Photo from Twitter
Connecticut newspaper urges Congress to help states deal with tribes that might gain federal recognition under Part 83 reforms being finalized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs:
If the Obama administration approves new federal tribal recognition rules, the administration and Congress had better help states deal with the consequences. Two measures that would help Connecticut are: •Decoupling tribal recognition from the ability to operate a casino. •Creating an expedited process to consider land claims that newly recognized tribes may file. This is a matter of some urgency. Despite vehement opposition from Connecticut, other states and many Indian tribes, the Bureau of Indian Affairs has nearly finished drafting new rules for tribal recognition, the CT Mirror reports. Under the guise of streamlining the recognition process, the BIA is making it much simpler. This could be a boon to three putative Connecticut tribes that have thus far failed to gain federal recognition. The Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation of North Stonington, the Golden Hill Paugussett Nation of Bridgeport and the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation of Kent, which have been rejected because they failed to prove their continuous existence as a community and continuous political governance, could now strike it rich.Get the Story:
Editorial: Congress Must Blunt New Tribal Recognition Rules (The Hartford Courant 4/25) Federal Register Notices:
Federal Acknowledgment of American Indian Tribes (July 30, 2014)
Federal Acknowledgment of American Indian Tribes (May 29, 2014) Relevant Documents:
Proposed Rule | Press Release | Comparison Chart (comparing current rule to proposed rule) | Response to Comments on June 2013 Discussion Draft | Frequently Asked Questions
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