{"id":11793,"date":"2021-05-21T11:41:43","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T15:41:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=11793"},"modified":"2021-05-21T11:44:05","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T15:44:05","slug":"montana-free-press-indian-lawmakers-focus-on-big-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/21\/montana-free-press-indian-lawmakers-focus-on-big-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana Free Press: Indian lawmakers focus on big issues"},"content":{"rendered":"<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1186\" height=\"667\" data-attachment-id=\"11795\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/21\/montana-free-press-indian-lawmakers-focus-on-big-issues\/montanastatecapitol\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/21\/montanastatecapitol.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1186,667\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"montanastatecapitol\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The Montana State Capitol building in Helena, Montana. Photo by Eliza Wiley \/ Montana Free Press&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/21\/montanastatecapitol-1024x576.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/21\/montanastatecapitol.jpg\" alt=\"montanastatecapitol\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11795\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">The Montana State Capitol building in Helena, Montana. Photo by Eliza Wiley \/ Montana Free Press<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Session yields mixed results for Native lawmakers<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Voting access, Indigenous languages and bison management were the big-ticket items for the Montana Legislature\u2019s American Indian Caucus<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Friday, May 21, 2021<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Amanda Eggert<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=\"source\">Montana Free Press<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=\"source-website\"><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/\">montanafreepress.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nDemocratic lawmakers from Montana\u2019s American Indian Caucus entered the 2021 legislative session with the numbers stacked against them. Minorities within a minority party, Native American lawmakers often found themselves trying to snuff measures seeking to restrict voting access, limit the presence of wild bison on Montana lands, and rework public assistance programming.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\n But there were successes, too. Native American lawmakers passed legislation to support Indigenous language education, and funding to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people was again approved by the Legislature and the governor. The caucus also found success working together on issues and presenting a unified message on social and natural resource issues. <p><\/p>\r\n\r\nEducational programs focused on Indigenous languages came out of the Legislature with mixed results. <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.montanafreepress.org\/capitol-tracker-2021\/lawmakers\/Jonathan-Windy-Boy\">Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder<\/a>, sponsored a bill that would have created funding for Indigenious language programs in the Department of Commerce. That bill was tabled in the House Education Committee, but the program was revived with funding from the Office of Public Instruction and the Office of Commissioner of Higher Education. <p><\/p>\r\n\r\nA related measure sought to put <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.montanafreepress.org\/capitol-tracker-2021\/bills\/hb-487\">Indigenous language programs under the umbrella of programming that makes applicants eligible for support from the TANF<\/a>, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, program. That bill died, but Windy Boy said he\u2019s looking forward to taking another run at it when the Legislature meets again in two years. <p><\/p>\r\n\r\nWindy Boy also worked on funding for computer programming initiatives. The Legislature passed <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.montanafreepress.org\/capitol-tracker-2021\/bills\/hb-644\">a measure that creates a scholarship program so high school teachers serving Native American youth<\/a> can receive a $2,000 scholarship for professional development to learn computer programming.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">MTFP launches 2021 Montana Capitol Tracker <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sq8dxkQWtC\">https:\/\/t.co\/sq8dxkQWtC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/mtnews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#mtnews<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Montana Free Press (@mtfreepress) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mtfreepress\/status\/1354217437089026048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 26, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<h4 class=\"has-primary-variation-color has-text-color\" id=\"h-from-offense-to-defense-on-bison-issues\"><strong>FROM OFFENSE TO DEFENSE ON BISON ISSUES <\/strong><\/h4>\r\n\r\nNative American lawmakers started the session playing offense on bison management issues, but quickly switched to defense<strong>.<\/strong><p><\/p>\r\n\r\nEarly in the session, <a href=\"http:\/\/marvin\">Rep. Marvin Weatherwax, D-Browning,<\/a><strong> <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2021\/02\/22\/rewilding-the-national-mammal\/\">introduced two bills that sought to facilitate the transfer of wild bison<\/a> from Yellowstone National Park to tribes and between tribes. House Bills 311 and 312 would have removed regulatory barriers relating to the quarantine of wild bison and how they can be transported. Both of those measures were tabled in the House Agriculture Committee on Feb. 23, the same day the committee passed a measure by <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.montanafreepress.org\/capitol-tracker-2021\/lawmakers\/Josh-Kassmier\">Rep. Josh Kassmier, R-Fort Benton<\/a>, that requires county commissioners to approve bison relocations in their jurisdiction. The Legislature also passed a bill by <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.montanafreepress.org\/capitol-tracker-2021\/bills\/hb-318\">Rep. Kenneth Holmlund, R-Miles City<\/a>, that changes the definition of wild bison in a way that will hamper the establishment of new herds. <p><\/p>\r\n\r\nKassmier\u2019s bill was signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte last week, and Gianforte is expected to sign Holmlund\u2019s bill in the coming days. <p><\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.montanafreepress.org\/capitol-tracker-2021\/\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MTFP-Cap-Tracker-b-1200x450-1-1024x384.jpg\" alt=\"montana free press capitol tracker\" class=\"img-fluid\" srcset=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MTFP-Cap-Tracker-b-1200x450-1-1024x384.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MTFP-Cap-Tracker-b-1200x450-1-300x113.jpg 300w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MTFP-Cap-Tracker-b-1200x450-1-768x288.jpg 768w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MTFP-Cap-Tracker-b-1200x450-1-706x265.jpg 706w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MTFP-Cap-Tracker-b-1200x450-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"has-primary-variation-color has-text-color\" id=\"h-access-to-voting-public-assistance\"><strong>ACCESS TO VOTING, PUBLIC ASSISTANCE <\/strong><\/h4>\r\n\r\nWhen she saw some of the bills restricting voting access being considered, <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.montanafreepress.org\/capitol-tracker-2021\/lawmakers\/Sharon-Stewart-Peregoy\">Rep. Sharon Stewart Peregoy, D-Crow Agency<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.montanafreepress.org\/capitol-tracker-2021\/bills\/hb-613\">introduced The Native Americans Voting Rights Act<\/a>. The measure would have allowed voters to use nontraditional addresses when registering to vote, expanded the kinds of IDs that could be used for voter verification, and increased access to ballot drop boxes on reservations.<strong> <\/strong>But <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.montanafreepress.org\/capitol-tracker-2021\/bills\/hb-613\">House Bill 613<\/a> was changed so significantly in the process that the lawmaker instead worked to successfully kill the proposal.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cIt got hijacked,\u201d Stewart Peregoy said. \u201cThe governor didn\u2019t want it and the committee tried to do what they could, but in the end we had to put it to bed, kill it, because something that could have become a useful tool could have [been] used against us.\u201d<p><\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m hoping that at the federal level, we\u2019ll get voting rights protections restored so that all these egregious bills across the country are [overridden],\u201d she added.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nStewart Peregoy said she\u2019s also concerned about changes to public assistance programs like Medicaid. Montana\u2019s Medicaid Expansion program used to require eligibility verification on a yearly basis, but starting July 1, the approximately 100,000 Montanans who are covered under Medicaid expansion will have to more frequently prove they qualify for the subsidized insurance.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s going to change the fabric of how people can access help,\u201d she said<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\n<h4 class=\"has-primary-variation-color has-text-color\" id=\"h-coordination-through-a-difficult-session\"><strong>COORDINATION THROUGH A DIFFICULT SESSION<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n\r\nThis past session was the seventh Stewart Peregoy participated in, and she said it stands out for its partisanship. <p><\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cUnfortunately, this session there was no bipartisanship, hardly,\u201d she said. She added that many freshmen lawmakers came to the Capitol with little understanding of tribal sovereignty and the government-to-government dynamic that underpins the relationship between tribes and the state. She said Indigenous lawmakers also had to challenge racist attitudes from some Republican lawmakers.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cThe other issue is we just need to increase our numbers,\u201d she said. \u201cWe can\u2019t move forward with a completely Republican-dominated House and Senate. In order to do good work, we\u2019re going to have to have some partners that are willing to not go lock-step with the party, but remember that we\u2019re representing Montana, and Montana interests, not just one party over the other.\u201d<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nLawmakers Windy Boy and Running Wolf echoed that sentiment. Windy Boy said this is the 10th session he\u2019s served in, and he can\u2019t recall one that was more hostile to the minority party. <p><\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cThis has been the most egregious of the ten. I say that because I haven\u2019t seen [this] much meanness, [this] much hostility in the pieces of legislation that went through,\u201d he said. <p><\/p>\r\n\r\nRunning Wolf said he thinks Native Americans and Native American issues are almost invisible to Republicans in the Legislature.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cI think it was more [that] the Republican agenda doesn\u2019t see tribal issues as important or even existent. Most Republican national agendas, we\u2019re invisible as Native Americans,\u201d he said.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nIn the face of a difficult dynamic, Stewart Peregoy said she\u2019s proud of how members of the American Indian caucus conducted themselves. She said they regularly held open meetings and worked alongside several lobbyists representing tribal interests and were able to move important pieces of legislation forward and derail some of the most harmful bills. <p><\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cThe teamwork that occurred during this session was phenomenal,\u201d she said. \u201cIt goes to show that when Indian Country works together, we can stop things, we can educate on a one-on-one basis when need be, and we\u2019re stronger for it. \u2026 I\u2019m hopeful that we can have other young people catch the fire of regaining their voice and spreading it. It\u2019s worth it \u2014 it\u2019s worth serving Indian Country and Montana.\u201d<p><\/p>\r\n\r\n<HR><EM>\r\nBillings native Amanda Eggert covers environmental issues for MTFP. Amanda is a graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism who has written for Outside magazine and Outlaw Partners. At Outlaw Partners she led coverage for the biweekly newspaper <a href=http:\/\/wordpress\/core\/5.3.1.explorebigsky.com\/>Explore Big Sky<\/a>. Contact Amanda at aeggert@montanafreepress.org.\r\n<\/em><HR>\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n<strong>Note: This story originally <a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2021\/05\/04\/session-yields-mixed-results-for-native-lawmakers\/\">appeared on Montana Free Press<\/a>. It is published under a <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/3.0\/us\/\">Creative Commons license<\/a>.<\/strong>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Voting access, Indigenous languages and bison management were the big-ticket items for the Montana Legislature\u2019s American Indian Caucus.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11795,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,11,19,1,14],"tags":[379,94,56,1577,175,1578,387,249,194,55,810,388,1576,177,102],"class_list":["post-11793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-environment","category-health","category-national","category-politics","tag-bison","tag-democrats","tag-elections","tag-jonathan-windy-boy","tag-languages","tag-marvin-weatherwax","tag-medicaid","tag-montana","tag-montana-free-press","tag-native-vote","tag-scholarships","tag-sharon-stewart-peregoy","tag-tyson-running-wolf","tag-voting-rights","tag-youth","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/21\/montanastatecapitol.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-34d","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11793\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}