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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2007)
Smoke Signals 3 Tribal Community Meetings Take On Enrollment Amendment The first meeting in Portland draws a lighter than usual crowd. MAY 12007 Community Membership meet ings this year will all be on week ends, mostly Sundays with one Saturday meeting scheduled in May. Some said that the weekend scheduling may have hurt atten dance - it was under 60 for the first meeting - at the Portland Airport's Embassy Suites Hotel on Sunday, April 22nd, but Sunday General Council meetings in Portland have drawn crowds of more than 100. Those in attendance mainly took on the Tribal Council's newest ef fort to amend Enrollment law but also made time to make proposals for other Tribal issues. In fact, the discussion continued until the ho tel shut off the lights in the room, a gentle reminder that the Tribe's time was up. Amending Enrollment law has not been an easy task. Many say that it is about fairness, not money, but both issues are affected by what the membership decides. The amendments need a two thirds approval vote by the mem bership followed by approval from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The proposed amendments were derived from the recommenda tions of the Ad Hoc Enrollment Committee and will continue to be discussed at future meetings scheduled to take place in Oregon and Washington. "There is a balance," said James Mills, an expert in enrollment law from the consulting firm, DCI America, brought in for the meeting by Tribal Council, "but it is a very difficult job." -- fill ;!' jo - o o The agenda for the meeting in cluded two break-out sessions, one on enrollment and the other on all other topics, but most stayed with enrollment. Topics beyond enrollment includ ed the Portland Satellite Office re model, timber harvesting, economic diversification, linking education to development plans, and lowering health care costs through improved prevention education. At the meeting's end, Consultant Mills reminded members, "Consider yourself all advertisers for these meetings. There is nothing better than a personal recommendation." The second meeting was sched uled for Tacoma on Sunday, April 29, followed by the combined General Council and community Membership meeting in Grand Ronde on Sunday,. May 6, and one in Eugene on Saturday, May 12, and ending with a meeting in Bend, Sunday, May 20. If you have questions about the upcom ing meetings, call Kim Ray Rog ers, Planning & Grants Manager at 503-879-2250. Tribal Chair Chris Merrier, left, describes Council efforts to update Tribal enrollment law. To Mercier's side is Tribal Council member Reyn Leno. ....... ....... .... ' i.W, V ii . . t (p) fift ?ffi it 4 1st ii is " i a: lb t. n ki a jr.1 :Wi .c u m , its , - w n ) nam,Al 1 91 s? rT A I vS Id T rr srs ra 1 1 ' TP yis .""irtt rr s.Hll ',. ' . UUQJUfVU UUWiUlU VZJLUKSU QJ U W 1SI1SUU , V ' . . A J 5 i . . ' 7; J is:. nssOi i 0 " r tv .... I v J ) i -Hi t i - i ! f i ' ! Sflterr; dt'-cieilto dill fir- DCbirxrOTrl Ci.ii? ir-v rAi.Bf fXililif-
