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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2013)
Chairman’s Report President Obama’s white House Summit Robert Kentta, Bud Lane, our attor- ney Craig Dorsay and I traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with our con- gressional delegation about our pending legislation. In addition to meetings with our delegation, one Tribal representa- tive was invited to attend a meeting with President Obama and other heads of the federal government. We were informed that our legislation that has had hearings in both the House and the Senate would not be acted on in this congressional year. We were assured, however, that it will be introduced in the new Congress in 2013. The National Congress of American Indians as well as the National Indian Gaming Association held pre-summit meetings to prepare Tribes for any discus- sion that might take place at the summit. Female warriors along with Navajo Code Talkers led the flag procession; it was very impressive. The Secretary of Inte- rior was the coordinator of the event and opened the discussion with Tribal leaders. The Obama administration has made much headway in moving fee-to-trust applications (more than 100,000 acres have been taken into trust) as well as having Tribal consultations in almost every agency and setting high priorities for education and energy development. Other officials described changes in the IRS having to do with some general welfare categories of Tribal income; these changes will be officially announced very soon. The Secretary of Health and Human Services announced that Tribal clinics soon will begin receiving reimbursements for services provided to veterans. Not only was the meeting informa- tive, but I also had the opportunity to visit with other Tribal officials from across the nation as well as Bureau of Indian Affairs and Office of the Special Trustee staff. Unfortunately, I was unable to stay for the president’s presentation as we had a flight to catch. High school seniors, current college students and Tribal members who are thinking of returning to college From the Siletz Tribal Education Department Your 2013-2014 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) must be filed within the month of January! Any Tribal member who wants to apply for Education funds for the 2013-2014 academic year must file his or her FAFSA application between Jan. 1-31, 2013. The FAFSA can be completed online at fafsa.ed.gov. Print your confirmation and provide this documentation when you apply for higher education or AVT funds in the spring. Government-to-Government Summit Several Tribal Council members and staff attended the Government-to-Govern- ment Summit with Gov. John Kitzhaber and state department officials in North Bend in late November. Each summit begins with meetings between Tribal officials and state officials one day prior to the meeting with the governor. On the second day, each Tribe gets a short period of time to talk about pre-arranged subjects with the governor leading the discussion. This year’s pre-arranged subject was how to do more with less. I let the audi- ence know we have been doing that since our 35 years of Tribal restoration. We have worked closely with state, county and federal governments to accomplish many things that we could not have done without not only their financial help, but also their support. Examples of this include the new sidewalks and storm drains in Siletz, additional public transpor- tation to and from Newport and Lincoln City, the new water storage tank in Siletz and various highway improvements. The bottom line is that funds are going to be very tight in the coming years. Partnering and maintaining good relationships with others will be important in order to meet our goals. Casino general manager The Tribal Council hired Tribal mem- ber Mike Fisher on a two-year contract to Delores Pigsley be general manager of Chinook Winds Casino Resort (see page 17). Mike was one of the original gaming commissioners hired in 1995. He worked for Chinook Winds for several years and went on to be general manager at other casinos. We are glad to have him back at Chinook Winds. Con- gratulations, Mike! Restoration This year’s 35 th Restoration was great. The food was excellent, it was well organized, our Tribal staff and casino staff did an excellent job and made us proud. Thank you to all of you who made it great. Siletz News is free to enrolled Siletz Tribal members. For all others, a $12 annual subscription fee applies. Please make checks payable to CTSI and mail to Siletz News. Name: _______________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________ Phone: _______________________________________________________ Change of address: Tribal members – contact the Enrollment Depart- ment at 541-444-8258; 800-922-1399, ext. 1258; or angelam@ctsi.nsn.us. All others – call the newspaper office. Deadline for the February issue is Jan. 10. Send information to: Submission of articles and photos is encouraged. Siletz News Please see the Passages Policy on page 20 when sub- mitting items for Passages. P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380-0549 541-444-8291 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1291 Fax: 541-444-2307 e-mail: pias@ctsi.nsn.us Member of the Native American Journalists Association Courtesy photos Robert Kentta, Delores Pigsley and Bud Lane in Washington, D.C., in December 2 • Siletz News • January 2013
