Elected judges, extended council terms on summer session agenda

The looming battle to override President Joe Shirley Jr.'s first use of the line item veto has so far defined the summer session of the Navajo Nation Council, but there are other meaty bills on the agenda as well.

Thomas Walker (Birdsprings/Leupp/Tolani Lake) is sponsoring a bill that would make the Navajo Nation bench - its court judges and Supreme Court justices - an elective office.

Ernest Yazzie (Bááháálí/Church Rock) is sponsoring a bill to combine the general and chapter elections and hold them in 2012.

If this measure passes, members of the current council would have their terms extended by two years. Yazzie said he is proposing the change as a cost saving measure.

Also on the agenda will be a report from the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission about race relations between Navajos and non-Navajos in border towns.

Young Jeff Tom (Mariano Lake/Smith Lake) is sponsoring a resolution to appropriate $9 million from the Contingency Management Fund, which is used to pay special legal costs incurred by the tribe. The money would be rerouted to assist veterans at the chapter level, with each chapter getting $81,818 to distribute to local veterans and veteran committees.

In a June 29 letter, the Office of Management and Budget stated that there is $2,238,440 in the General Fund for chapters to use for veterans' needs. The letter also explains that the Contingency Management Fund is reserved for liabilities and claims owed by the tribe. The Office of the Attorney General determines distribution from the fund.

The council will also discuss two resolutions that were tabled during spring session.

The first legislation would appropriate $5 million from revenues earmarked for the tribe's Permanent Trust Fund and would distribute the money to chapters for the Public Employment and Youth Employment programs.

This item was tabled to allow the sponsor, Young Jeff Tom, time to obtain the correct figure for the actual balance in the fund since two different amounts were mentioned in discussions about the bill.

The second bill, sponsored by Leonard Teller (Lukachukai/Tsaile/Wheatfields), asks Congress to delete language from the federal Annual Appropriations Act that prohibits using IHS funds to construct sewer systems for new homes that are funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Other bills that were deleted from the spring session agenda reappear on this session's agenda.

Leonard Anthony (Shiprock) is sponsoring a resolution to allocate $450,000 from the Personnel Lapse Fund to support the Rosetta Stone Navajo Language Revitalization Project.

The project is a joint effort by Navajo Language Renaissance, a local group, and Rosetta Stone to create a computer program to help people of all ages learn to speak Navajo.

Rosetta Stone is a national company that produces language-learning software for many languages.

Raymond Joe (Blue Gap/Tachee/Whippoorwill) is asking for $430,000 from the Undesignated Unreserved Fund to go to Fire and Rescue Services for help with its operating costs.

Delegate Yazzie (Bááháálí/Church Rock) also is requesting $650,000 from the Unreserved Undesignated Fund to demolish two buildings and clean up an industrial lot located next to Fire Rock Navajo Casino.

Three of the tribe's independently operated health care facilities will seek approval from the Navajo Nation Council to enter into self-governance compacts.

The Tuba City Regional Health Care Corp., the Utah Navajo Health Systems Inc., and the Winslow Indian Health Care Center Inc. would like to transfer from Title I to Title V status under the Indian Self Determination Act, PL 93-638.

By declaring Title V status, each facility would have more management and operating authority and there would be a reduction in oversight from the Indian Health Service.

Hoskie Kee (Baca-Prewitt/Casamero Lake/Littlewater) is sponsoring a measure to increase the time allowed for the Ethics & Rules Committee to set the agenda for a regular council session. Under the current law, the committee must adopt an agenda at least 15 calendar days prior to a regular session. Kee's bill would reduce that interval to 10 days.

Future use of the tribal seal and the tribal flag would need to be approved by the Intergovernmental Relations Committee, if legislation sponsored by Rex Lee Jim (Rock Point) is approved.

Harold Wauneka (Fort Defiance) and Ray Berchman (Oak Springs/St. Michaels) are sponsoring the demolition of the Tuba City District Court building. The area needs to be cleared so the new justice complex can be built, according to the legislation.

The council will consider increasing the tribe's tobacco tax and changes to the statute. The tax on a pack of cigarettes would increase from 40 cents to a dollar.

President Joe Shirley Jr. is expected to give his state of the nation address on the opening day of the session, July 19. The council also likely will hear a report from Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan.

The Ethics and Rules Committee approved the summer session agenda July 2 at its regular meeting.

Back to top ^