Newest Diné legislator hits the ground running

The newest Navajo in the Arizona State Legislature (well, unless you count his previous term as a state representative from 2003 to 2005) has not been idle his first two weeks in office.

On Jan. 11, shortly after being sworn into office, State Sen. Jack C. Jackson Jr. helped introduce emergency legislation to prevent Westboro Baptist Church from picketing at the funerals of the six victims of the recent shooting incident in Tucson.

(The church, known for picketing the funerals of U.S. servicemen, had announced on its Web site it would protest the memorial services because its members believe the shootings were a just punishment for "idolatrous" actions.)
Three days later, Jackson was a guest on "Native America Calling" in a segment on ethnic backlash in Arizona.

On Jan. 18, at the legislature's annual Native American Day, Jackson introduced two resolutions: one commemorating the oft-overlooked Hopi Code Talkers, and another honoring the 15 Natives who have served in the legislature since Rep. Lloyd L. House, Navajo/Oneida, first took the oath in 1967.

"I'm pleased to say both were adopted unanimously," Jackson said.

But honoring folks is the easy part. The Arizona Legislature Jackson was sworn into is a bitterly divided, Republican-dominated entity that last year passed laws muzzling teachers of ethnic studies and directing police to demand the papers of anyone they suspect may be here illegally.

Just last week the lawmakers voted to ask the federal government if the state can cut 280,000 people from its Medicaid rolls.

"It's definitely a different state than it was when I was in the House," Jackson said. "Even though it was mostly Republican then, we had a Democratic governor, which helped a lot. And we didn't have this budget crisis that's causing people to do things we Democrats think are really bad for the state."

Still, he said, on a day-to-day basis, "I'm not really feeling the divisiveness. So far our colleagues on both sides of the aisle have been great to work with. I think unanimously passing the bill on protests at funerals had a uniting effect. It was a great way to start out the session."

Jackson seems to be enjoying his term so far, and if he needs any guidance, the man whose seat he filled - Albert Hale - is right down the hall. Hale, who had termed out in the Senate, was voted into the House in November.

Jackson said one of his main goals is to continue Hale's legacy of fighting for a share of the transaction privilege tax.

Presently, the state channels a portion of its sales tax revenue back to the geographical entity where it was collected - as long as it's either a county or an incorporated city or town. Indian reservations were overlooked in that law, and Hale has for years been trying to rectify that situation.

"We really need to get more of the green back to the tribes," Jackson said, "This would be a way to do it."

In that vein, Jackson also signed onto SB1131, which would make airports on tribal land eligible for grants from the State Aviation Fund.

"When you consider how dependent the tribes are on aircraft, both for tourism and medical transport, it's kind of amazing we can't access that fund," Jackson said. "I'm sure every airport on the Navajo Nation could use some improvement."

That bill was withdrawn this week pending negotiations with the Arizona Aviation Association that Jackson thinks will result in stronger legislation next session.

Whether or not you agree with his politics, it would be hard to accuse Jackson of wasting time. As of Tuesday, he had already sponsored or co-sponsored 17 bills, an average of more than one per day since he's been in office.

His piece de resistance was dropped in the hopper Tuesday: a revival of a bill originally proposed by his father, Jack Jackson Sr., who served as a state representative from 1985 to 1998 and was a state senator from 1999 to 2003.

The bill would set up a joint legislative committee to formalize the relationship between the state of Arizona and its Native nations.

"My dad felt that the Navajo Nation was already a governmental entity when Arizona became a state, and yet when the lines were drawn, there really was no discussion of the relationship between the two," Jackson explained. "We need to establish a structure, and use that structure to further the issues that impact the state's tribes and nations."

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