Maine Native American Tribes were thwarted again in their pursuit for sovereignty. A portion of a $1.7 trillion Omnibus spending bill for 2023 that would have granted sovereignty was excluded from the legislation.
This is the second time a bill granting sovereignty has failed to be passed.
The proposal was introduced by 2nd District Congressman Jared Golden and backed by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, both Democrats.
If included in the bill, it would have updated the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980. That legislation limits tribal authority and excludes Maine tribes from new federal laws unless directed by Congress.
Currently, the Maine tribes, known as Wabanaki Nation, are excluded from 150 federal Indian Laws.
Senator Angus King was the main opposition to the proposal, because he said he had “serious concerns about the legislation in its current form and the unintended consequences it poses for the state of Maine,” according to a statement.
Wabanaki leaders said in a statement that they were extremely disappointed with King’s stance on the proposal.
“The main reason for the legislation’s exclusion is due to strong opposition from Senator Angus King,” Chief Kirk Francis, Penobscot Nation, said in a statement. “This is unfortunate because tribal leaders had directly conferred with Senator King as the legislation was being drafted and purposefully drafted the bill narrowly to address Senator King’s concerns.
“It’s hard not to suspect that the senator’s opposition to the legislation is political in nature and not substantive. The Wabanaki bill would have been a meaningful step towards modernizing an archaic settlement act, and it would have opened doors for much-needed economic opportunities for our tribal communities and rural Maine.”
A recently released study conducted by researchers at the Harvard Kennedy School said that economic development for Maine’s tribes have been hampered by not having access to federal Indian laws. They estimated that per capita income among the state’s tribes has grown at 9 percent while other tribes have grown 61 percent.
“Perhaps no better economic development policy costing so little money could be implemented now in the State of Maine than removing the restrictive language of MICSA. Yet Sen. King refuses to support it,” Chief Clarissa Sabattis, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, said in a statement.
Chief Rena Newell of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik said in a statement they will continue to lobby the legislature for sovereignty.
“We will not stop,” Newell said. “We will keep fighting for a brighter future because all of Maine succeeds when the Wabanaki succeeds. We applaud our friends Congressman Golden and Congresswoman Pingree for championing our effort thus far and look forward to building on our work in future Congresses.”
