AUGUST 1, 2016
S moke S ignals
11
Senate approves Reservation Act amendment bill
Tribe continues to
oppose Siletz legislation
that also was passed
by the BIA, the Tribe must
amend its Reservation
Act through congressio-
nal action for the land to
be considered part of the
Reservation.
By Dean Rhodes
The Tribe has been
Smoke Signals editor
working
for more than
The U.S. Senate approved two
seven
years
to amend the
bills on Friday, July 15: one that
Restoration
Act. During
the Grand Ronde Tribe liked very
the
last
Congress,
the
much and the other that the Tribe
amendments were passed
has opposed since it was first in-
by the House, but did not
troduced.
get through the Senate be-
The first bill, to amend the Grand
fore Congress adjourned.
Ronde Reservation Act, was intro-
The other bill, however,
duced by Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden
is
opposed by the Grand
and Jeff Merkley. It was passed out
Ronde
Tribe because it
of the Senate Committee on Indian
would expand the area in
Affairs on Nov. 18, 2015.
which the Secretary of the
The bill would amend the Res-
Interior could take land
ervation Act to create a one-step
into trust for the Siletz
process that would allow the Grand
Tribe to include Tillamook
Ronde Tribe to take land within
Contributed photo
and Yamhill counties,
its original Reservation of more
Tribal Council Secretary Cheryle A. Kennedy
both counties allocated to
than 60,000 acres into trust as
met with Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley during
the Grand Ronde Tribe in
on-reservation land and once the
his Town Hall meeting held in Tillamook
its Restoration Act.
land is taken into trust it would
on
Wednesday,
July
20.
Kennedy
said
she
Currently, the Siletz
automatically become part of the
discussed
the
passage
of
Senate
Bill
817
Tribe
is limited to taking
Tribe’s Reservation.
land
into
trust within Lin-
with
Merkley,
who
co-sponsored
the
bill
with
Currently, the Grand Ronde
coln
County.
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden.
Tribe must apply to the Bureau
The bill’s passage was
of Indian Affairs for a fee-to-trust
addressed by Tribal Council Chair-
After the land is accepted into trust
application when it purchases land.
man Reyn Leno and Tribal Council
Secretary Cheryle A. Kennedy at
the Tuesday, July 26, Legislative
Action Committee hearing.
Kennedy said she discussed the
If you have an emergency and need to dial “911” you must first
bill’s passage with Merkley, who
dial a “9” (9911).
also introduced it with Wyden,
The only calls that do not require that you dial a 9+ are those made
during a Town Hall meeting held in
from the CTGR extensions within the CTGR campus and/or those
Tillamook on Wednesday, July 20.
who use CTGR Tel for their home phone service.
“I asked him about what his
intention was for helping to take
care of the issue that has been
created with the passage of Senate
Bill 817,” Kennedy said. “And I
Tribal Court provides both minor and adult name changes to enrolled
asked him if he would be directly
members for a filing fee of only $30. If you have any questions or would
involved because we had opposed
like to request a packet, contact Devin Larsen at 503-879-2303 or devin.
many times and presented issues.
larsen@grandronde.org.
ATTENTION CTGR TELEPHONE SERVICE
Name changes in Tribal Court
Of course, he kind of said ‘I was not
the lead on it,’ which we knew. I
said we acknowledge that and know
that, but he certainly needed to be
part of the solution.”
Leno said the bill’s passage could
potentially create conflict between
the two Tribes.
“Our membership tends to think
we argue a lot with these other
Tribes, but what this bill is about
is basically another Tribe trying to
come in and take Tillamook County,”
Leno said. “Our membership knows,
or should know, that in the Resto-
ration Act we received Tillamook,
Polk and Yamhill counties. So this
bill would actually give another Tribe
rights in Tillamook County. That is
the reason we are opposing it.
“We’re not opposing it just to fight
with another Tribe. We’re opposing
it because we feel that’s our land,
that’s where our people come from.
The county acknowledges that; a lot
of other people acknowledge that.
“If you get two Tribes overseeing
one county, you are going to have
conflict, and that is what we don’t
want, conflict over remains and
artifacts. … These disputes, when
you have two Tribes fighting, the
government always says, ‘You guys
have to work it out between your-
selves,’ and that just never works.”
Kennedy said the Grand Ronde
Tribe requested a mediation ses-
sion through Bureau of Indian Af-
fairs Northwest Regional Director
Stanley Speaks. The Siletz Tribe
declined the offer, she added.
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso,
chairman of the Senate Committee
on Indian Affairs, said in a press
release that the House of Repre-
sentatives will take up both bills
in the near future.
To become law, the bills need to be
passed by the House and then signed
by President Barack Obama.
Grand Ronde Community
Blood Drive
Grand Ronde Community Center
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Wednesday, August 31
10:30 AM - 3:30 PM
To schedule your appointment, contact Francene at Iskam MəkMək-Haws at
503-879-3663, or visit redcrossblood.org and use sponsor code: GrandRonde
RAPIDPASS – Save lives in less time with RapidPass! You can save up to 15 min.
at your next appointment. Learn more at redcrossblood.org/RapidPass.