DECEMBER 1, 1999
5
Insurance plan w
expand to Elders' spouses
5:00 p.m. Meeting was called to order by
Vice Chair Ed Larsen. Kathryn Harrison, Ed
Pearsall, Reyn Leno, June Sherer were all ex
cused. All other Council was present.
Bob Mercier moved, Val Grout seconded to
approve the previous October 6, 1999 Tribal
Council meeting minutes as submitted. Motion
carried. Butch LaBonte moved, Bob Mercier
seconded to approve the previous October 20,
1999 Tribal Council meeting minutes as sub
mitted. Motion carried.
TRIBAL GOVERNMENT, MANAGEMENT
& BUDGET SUBCOMMITTEE
Debts of tribal members. Val grout
moved, Bob Haller seconded to adopt Resolu
tion No. 134-99 that states the Tribal Council
expects all tribal members to pay debts owed to
the Tribe in a timely manner and the Tribe re
serves the right to collect such debts. Motion
carried by a vote of 4-0-0.
D BIA Approval of SMGI Loan for Refi
nance of Phase III Expansion and Lodge
Construction. Bob Haller moved, Butch La
Bonte seconded to adopt Resolution No. 130
99 approving the loan between Spirit Moun
tain Gaming, Inc. and U.S. Bank for the refi
nancing of the Phase III casino expansion and
lodge construction and instructing the tribal at
torney to submit the loan documents to the
Bureau of Indian Affairs for approval. Motion
carried by a vote of 4-0-0.
B Enrollment Ordinance Amendment.
Bob Mercier moved, Bob Haller seconded to ap
prove Resolution No. 131-99 amending the
Enrollment Ordinance to update the Ordinance
in light of the recent Tribal Constitution en
rollment provision amendment. Motion carried
by a vote of 4-0-0.
D Approval of Revenue Allocation Plan
and Submission to BIA for Final Approval.
Val Grout moved, Bob Haller seconded to adopt
Resolution No. 132-99 that:
1) approves the Revenue Allocation Plan for
Class II and Class III gaming revenues; and
2) authorizes the Chair to make such additional
changes as the BIA Northwest Regional Direc
tor or his designee may request as the Chair
deems appropriate; and
3) instructs the tribal attorney to submit the
Revenue Allocation Plan to the Northwest Re
gional Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
for final approval.
Motion carried by a vote of 4-0-0.
D Creation of Rabbi Trust for Minors Be
tween the Ages of Newborn and 14. Bob
Mercier moved, Val Grout seconded to adopt
Resolution No. 133-99 approving the creation
of a Rabbi Trust for the benefit of tribal mem
bers between the ages of newborn and 14 and
also authorizing the Chair to execute the docu
ments necessary to create the Rabbi Trust. Mo
tion carried by a vote of 4-0-0.
O Donation Request to OIEA Youth Con
ference and YLA Training. Butch LaBonte
moved, Bob Haller seconded to approve request
to donate $1,000 for a lunch at the Oregon In
dian Education Association Youth Conference;
a Pendleton blanket for a student drawing for
the conference to be held October 28-31, 1999
at Warm Springs; and $300 to sponsor a meal
at the American Indian Leadership Academy
training to be held November 5-6 in Lincoln
City. Motion carried by unanimous vote of
Council members present.
D Employee 1999 Appreciation Gifts. Val
Grout moved, Butch LaBonte seconded to ap
prove providing staff with a turkey for Thanks
giving and a $30 Safeway Gift Certificate for
Christmas. Council authonzed the purchase
of the same amount of gift certificates as was
purchased last year. Motion carried.
As a result of community
meetings last year, Council says
it's what the membership wants.
By Brent Merrill
Tribal Council recently approved a resolu
tion enabling Elders who are non-tribal
spouses, married to tribal members, to re
ceive medical insurance benefits from the Tribe.
The benefits will not include dental care.
Non-member spouses will be allowed to enroll in
the Tribe's ODS group health plan if they meet
the program requirements.
According to Health Plan Man
ager and Claims Administrator
Val Sheker, the spouse must be
legally married to a tribal mem
ber in good standing for at least
one year prior to and during the
time he or she is enrolled in the
plan. A legal copy of the marriage
certificate must be provided prior
to consideration.
Sheker said the spouse and the
tribal member must be 55 before
enrolling in the plan and the
spouse must pay a monthly premium of $50 to
subsidize the cost of the plan. The amount of the
subsidy is determined annually by the Tribal
Council.
Sheker said monthly premiums must be paid on
the first of the month for coverage for that month.
Premiums received after 30 days are consid
ered late and will not be accepted for the prior month
and coverage will terminate on the last day of the
month for which premium should have been paid.
Non-tribal member spouses, whose plan ben
efits have been terminated, may apply for rein
statement during the next open enrollment period
only.
Sheker said there is a waiting period of one year
after marriage before the spouse can be enrolled
in the program.
Non-tribal member spouses who were mar
ried to deceased tribal members for at least ten
years can enroll in the plan within the first year
of the plan. Sheker said any burden of proof to
enroll in the plan resides with the spouse of the
deceased tribal member.
Upon the death of a tribal member, the non
tribal member widow or widower may continue on
the plan, provided premiums have been paid. If
the spouse remarries the plan will terminate.
Tribal Council members have said they can see
both sides of the issue and that they hope mem
bers will see the benefit to the overall sense of com
munity in the Tribe.
Tm kind of torn on that (the subject of having
non-Indians receiving tribal benefits) because I
believe that families who have no other alterna
tive or avenue to get benefits, maybe we should
help them out," said Tribal Council member June
Sell-Sherer. "But, I think there is a limit as to how
far we should go with it.
"The more money we spend on non-tribal mem
bers the more we are hurting ourselves in that
there are less services we can provide to the tribal
members themselves," said Sell-Sherer.
Call to veterans
The local chapter of AmVets, Post 2000, will hold
a meeting on December 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the
VFW Hall in Willamina. Veterans from Willamina,
Sheridan, and Grand Ronde are welcome to at
tend. This will be the only opportunity veterans
will have to become a charter member of AmVets.
For more information, please call Gene LaBonte
at 879-5342.
iiMii&ldMuliBi
www
Sell-Sherer said she has considered the feelings
of tribal members and that she understands both
sides.
"You want to help the tribal members' families
and at the same time, you know when you do are
denying benefits to others," said Sell-Sherer. "A
lot of tribal members are married to non-tribal
members and they want to see their spouses and
children taken care of and I can understand that."
Tribal Council member Val Grout said she hopes
people will consider the human factor before they
decide if the health coverage is appropriate. Grout
said the results of Termination had various effects
on the tribal members, and led people to leave the
tribal community to seek jobs and identities in the
dominant culture.
"For me personally, in our com
munity, a lot of people married
non-tribal people because we
were never really a reservation
and we were just part of the com
munity and we married commu
nity people," said Grout. "In my
own personal situation, I married
a white man, but he raised five
Indian kids and an Indian wife.
By that, I mean he (the late Pete
Grout) provided for us.
"There are a lot of tribal mem
bers that married non-tribal members," continued
Grout. "Yet, they have been a part of raising an
Indian family. We didn't always have these re
sources here."
Grout said she feels if the Tribe has the resources
and can help people, then it should be done.
"If we can make our members' lives a little easier,
then I feel we should do it," said Grout. "We should
share. I feel they (non-Indian spouses) are a part
of us."
Grout said she feels like anything she receives
now from the Tribe is a benefit, because of all the
years when tribal members went without re
sources. "I feel privileged with anything I get from the
Tribe now because we didn't have that all those
years," said Grout. "And, now that the Tribe is
helping out with the pension fund and housing, I
think it is a privilege."
Sheker said the program came about because of
tribal member requests.
Tribal Council member Ed Larsen said the sub
ject of spousal benefits came up at every commu
nity meeting the Tribe held this year. Community
meetings were held in Portland, Bend, Salem,
Eugene and Grand Ronde.
"I was at each of those meetings we held and
people said over and over again that they hoped
we would consider this plan," said Larsen.
"I supported the plan and I think it is something
the community needed," said Tribal Council mem
ber Ed Pearsall. "If something happens to a non
Indian member of one of our families it affects the
whole family. It can drag the whole family down.
We are trying to keep that from happening."
Sheker said she hopes the plan begins in Janu
ary of 2000.
To have your spouse considered for the
health plan contact Sheker or Amy Justen
in the Tribe's Risk Management office at
1-800-442-0346.
Veterans
Christmas Dinner
Sunday, Dec. 5 1:00 pm
i Willamina VFW
ALL VETERANS INVITED