Quinault Nation President Fawn Sharp, at podium, speaks at the National Congress of American Indians executive council winter session in Washington, D.C., on February 23, 2016. Photo by Indianz.Com
Tribes in Washington are among the 699 beneficiaries of the $940 million Ramah Navajo contract support costs settlement. A federal judge issued an order and opinion on Wednesday, finalizing a settlement that resolves shortfalls in self-determination contracts at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Quinault Nation is due to receive $22 million. “As the judge said in issuing his ruling, this settlement comes as a result of decades of underpayments to tribes, which forced us to take funds from other cash-strapped budgets to pay for critical programs. This settlement is intended to help right those wrongs,” Quinault President Fawn Sharp said in a press release. The Yakama Nation is due to receive $7.2 million and the Colville Tribes will see $13.3 million. Several other Washington tribe are also a part of the settlement and checks are expected to go out in the coming months. A document on rncsettlement.com lists the expected amounts for the 699 tribes and tribal organizations. The beneficiaries will share in $854.6 million, the amount remaining after $79.9 million in attorney fees and $5.5 million in other costs are deducted. Get the Story:
Yakama Nation's share of class action suit comes to $7.2 million (The Yakima Herald-Republic 2/26)
Tribe to get estimated $13.3 million in Ramah Settlement (The Tribal Tribune 1/28) Relevant Documents:
DOI Press Release | Ramah Navajo Chapter Press Release | Oglala Sioux Tribe Press Release | Zuni Pueblo Press Release | Attorneys Press Release | Settlement Q&A
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