NCAI Members join President Obama and Vice President Biden, Members of Congress, and Advocates to Celebrate Passage of Protections for All Women

NCAI Members join President Obama and Vice President Biden, Members of Congress, and Advocates to Celebrate Passage of Protections for All Women

Washington, DC – Native women, tribal leaders, women’s rights advocates, and survivors of domestic abuse joined President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden today, along with members of Congress and the Obama Administration, to celebrate the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Members of NCAI’s Executive Committee joined in celebrating the tribal provisions of the bill enacted into law; President Jefferson Keel, 1st Vice President Juana Majel Dixon and Co-Chair of NCAI’s Task Force on Violence Against Women, Secretary Ed Thomas, and Treasurer Ron Allen. Terri Henry, Co-Chair of NCAI’s Task Force on Violence Against Women, was also in attendance.

For the entire story, read the original from NCAI, including photos and video.

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Former United Tribes of Michigan Executive Director Matt Wesaw and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm talking at a United Tribes of Michigan meeting in Lansing in 2006

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The center issued the report after studying what it said were the effects of Proposition 209 in California, the first state to adopt a proposal explicating banning the use of affirmative action on the basis of race and gender in hiring and education decisions. The report, written by Susan Kaufmann, associate director of the center, said if the MCRI is approved and becomes part of the constitution, it could have a major effect on programs designed to improve access to education and employment as well as on admission and hiring decisions.

Jennifer Gratz, executive director with the MCRI, acknowledged there would be effects if the proposal passes, because it would make programs based on race illegal.

“People will have to rely on their character and merit to gain admission and not race,” she said. But she also said the report seems to belie claims made by supporters of affirmative action that race is only one factor in admissions and hiring decisions.

“This seems to say that race is a super factor,” she said.

The California proposal, similar in many respects to the MCRI, has been in place for nine years. After it was adopted, a large number of statutes had to be either amended to eliminate reference to race or gender, or have their basis for program selection changed to socioeconomic status, the report said. In addition, court decisions in that state held that Proposition 209 outlawed state efforts even to have greater outreach to minority and female-owned businesses, the report said.

Court cases have also been filed against voluntary efforts to consider race and gender in education and hiring and contracting programs. The report said that while the numbers of minorities have become a larger percentage of high school graduates in California, they are a smaller percentage of incoming freshmen in the University of California system.

However, the report did indicate that part of the decline in freshmen admissions could be accounted for because a larger number of minority and women have been enrolled in private colleges in the state. Based on that finding, the report issued concerns that should the MCRI pass in Michigan fewer minorities, in particular, would be admitted to Michigan universities.

What could be particularly affected, the report said, are programs designed to help minorities and women prepare for college. But Ms. Gratz said that affirmative action supporters continue to forget that when the US Supreme Court issued its decisions on affirmative action at the University of Michigan it said that eventually affirmative action programs would have to end.

“The University of Michigan seems to think these programs can go on forever,” she said.

Click here to open the research report on the Potential Impact of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative on Employment, Education and Contracting. Since this is a larger Adobe Reader® PDF document, if you have a slower connection just right click here and select “save as”, “save link as” or “save target as” (different menu choices appear depending on the type of Web browser you are using) and you can directly download the PDF to your computer.

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Indian Health Service (IHS) officials are strongly considering a shift in policy that would result in the stoppage of IHS funding for health care at IHS-funded facilities. Any IHS-funded facility that charges eligible beneficiaries (i.e., a co-payment) for portions of health service or pharmaceuticals may be subject to a complete halt in funding.

Read More…

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The Great Lakes Water Compact, originally proposed by the Council of Great Lakes Governments, was approved by the Michigan and Wisconsin State Legislatures last week. The Compact includes conservation measures and water use restrictions, designed to protect the Lakes against “diversion and over use.” Other states that have approved the Compact are Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York. The Canadian Provinces bordering the Great Lakes (Ontario and Quebec) have already approved similar and compatible measures.

For the measure to have the force of law, the Compact will need the approval of two additional states (Ohio and Pennsylvania), and then the approval of the U.S. legislature. Despite expected clashes regarding a private property rights amendment, the Ohio State Senate President is hopeful that the Compact will pass before the June recess. As for Pennsylvania, the State House approved the Compact in January, and the State Senate Environment Committee will vote on the issue in June.

Federal approval of the Great Lakes Water Compact is likely if it reaches the U.S. House of Representatives prior to 2010. Currently, Representatives from the Great Lakes states have the necessary numbers to pass the Compact if it comes before them. However, they may not be able to maintain this power if the Great Lakes states experience the loss of any additional seats in the House of Representatives (The 2000 Census reported dwindling population levels in Great Lakes states, resulting in the loss of nine seats within the House. It is expected that the 2010 Census will reflect further population losses within the Great Lakes states, resulting in the loss of additional seats. Sunbelt States, traditionally water-poor, are likely to gain seats).

Why is this important to the Tribes?

The Compact bans water diversions outside the Great Lakes basin (i.e. the “Soup Bowl and Soup Bowl rim”) with very limited exceptions. Without the federal approval of the Compact, Great Lakes states may be required to divert water resources to states with very little water resources (such as states within the southwest United States). The impact upon fishing, farming, shipping, tourism, the environment, and Tribal culture would likely be significant.

Tribes must remain vigilant on the issues surrounding the Great Lakes Water Compact. It will be important for the Compact to get through the House and Senate quickly. Tribes need to maintain a good foundation for its passage on the federal level. If you have any questions, or need additional information, please contact Meghan Kelly Powell at federalliaison@yahoo.com or by phone at (757) 777-8838. Meghan is a member of the Sault Saint Marie Tribe.

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The Great Lakes Water Compact, originally proposed by the Council of Great Lakes Governments, was approved by the Michigan and Wisconsin State Legislatures last week. The Compact includes conservation measures and water use restrictions, designed to protect the Lakes against “diversion and over use.” Other states that have approved the Compact are Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York. The Canadian Provinces bordering the Great Lakes (Ontario and Quebec) have already approved similar and compatible measures.

For the measure to have the force of law, the Compact will need the approval of two additional states (Ohio and Pennsylvania), and then the approval of the U.S. legislature. Despite expected clashes regarding a private property rights amendment, the Ohio State Senate President is hopeful that the Compact will pass before the June recess. As for Pennsylvania, the State House approved the Compact in January, and the State Senate Environment Committee will vote on the issue in June.

Federal approval of the Great Lakes Water Compact is likely if it reaches the U.S. House of Representatives prior to 2010. Currently, Representatives from the Great Lakes states have the necessary numbers to pass the Compact if it comes before them. However, they may not be able to maintain this power if the Great Lakes states experience the loss of any additional seats in the House of Representatives (The 2000 Census reported dwindling population levels in Great Lakes states, resulting in the loss of nine seats within the House. It is expected that the 2010 Census will reflect further population losses within the Great Lakes states, resulting in the loss of additional seats. Sunbelt States, traditionally water-poor, are likely to gain seats).

Why is this important to the Tribes?

The Compact bans water diversions outside the Great Lakes basin (i.e. the “Soup Bowl and Soup Bowl rim”) with very limited exceptions. Without the federal approval of the Compact, Great Lakes states may be required to divert water resources to states with very little water resources (such as states within the southwest United States). The impact upon fishing, farming, shipping, tourism, the environment, and Tribal culture would likely be significant.

Tribes must remain vigilant on the issues surrounding the Great Lakes Water Compact. It will be important for the Compact to get through the House and Senate quickly. Tribes need to maintain a good foundation for its passage on the federal level. If you have any questions, or need additional information, please contact Meghan Kelly Powell at federalliaison@yahoo.com or by phone at (757) 777-8838. Meghan is a member of the Sault Saint Marie Tribe.

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