AUGUSTA - The Maine State Legislature's Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to advance LD 1626, the Tribal Sovereignty Act, by 8-6. Assistant House Majority Leader Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, is the lead sponsor of the legislation.
If passed into law, the Tribal Sovereignty Act would implement the recommendations of the Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act. The legislation would restore the Wabanaki Nations' jurisdiction over their reservation and trust lands, and it would bring all of the Wabanaki Nations back to the same level of sovereignty that most other Tribal Nations exercise within the United States.
LD 1626 is the result of years of work from Tribal leaders and Maine legislators to modernize the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act and draft legislative solutions to restore sovereignty to the Wabanaki Nations. The proposal aims to improve the relationship between Maine and the Wabanaki Nations, a relationship that has been governed by federal and state Settlement Acts since 1980. While the Settlement Acts were intended to resolve land claims, they resulted in restrictions on the sovereign rights of the Wabanaki Nations to self-govern. As a result, Wabanaki Nations within Maine have not had the same rights and privileges as most other Tribal Nations in the United States.
During the Tribal Sovereignty Act's eight-hour public hearing on February 15 before the Judiciary Committee, members heard an outpouring of public support with over 1,500 individuals and organizations testifying in favor of the measure.
"I am so thankful to everyone who has stood in solidarity with the Wabanaki Nations on this issue, including the coalition of over 100 organizations and the hundreds of Mainers who wrote LTEs in support of the legislation," said Talbot Ross. "I am particularly thankful to the Tribal leaders and members who have courageously fought to restore what has always been inherently theirs: sovereignty. As a result of their dedication and persistence, and the hard work of members on the Judiciary Committee, the Maine Legislature will have the opportunity this year to take a step towards righting the wrongs of the past and upholding the rights, privileges and powers of our Tribal neighbors."
"LD 1626 and the work around it strives to right past wrongs," said Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, Senate chair of the Judiciary Committee. "My thanks go to the many who have worked so hard to move this important human rights legislation forward, especially the Chiefs of the Wabanaki Nations, Tribal leaders and elders, and the many Mainers who waited hours to share testimony at the public hearing; all those who shared their expertise during the extensive committee work including OPLA analysts; Judiciary Committee colleagues for their diligence and thoughtfulness; and of course Rep. Talbot Ross for her leadership in sponsoring and directing this bill. This bill represents an important step forward in repairing the relationship between state government and the Wabanaki people."
"The relationship between the State of Maine and the First Nations has been fraught with conflict and trauma for years, and that has come at the detriment of the Wabanaki people and the State of Maine," said Rep. Thom Harnett, D-Gardiner, House chair of the Judiciary Committee. "With this legislation, we have the chance this year to substantially improve the relationship between the Wabanaki Nations and the State of Maine. Thank you to everyone who shared their support for the Tribal Sovereignty Act, and thank you to my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee and nonpartisan staff for working so hard to fine-tune the language of the bill before it goes to the full Legislature."
The full Legislature will vote on LD 1626 in the coming weeks.
Talbot Ross is in her third term in the Maine House, representing part of Portland, and serves as assistant House majority leader. A ninth-generation Mainer and longtime public servant, Talbot Ross has dedicated her career to social justice. Prior to her time in the Legislature, she led the NAACP in Maine and founded several nonprofit organizations, including Maine Black Community Development, Inc., Maine Freedom Trails, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellows. She chaired the Maine State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights for several years as well as the African American Collection of Maine housed at the University of Southern Maine.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Talbot Ross, Harnett], c. 207-812-1111
Lisa Haberzettl [Carney], c. 207-251-3548