RadioActive 1/23/20: Update on Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act Changes

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

Maine Judiciary Committee Votes to Accept Recommendations of Task Force on Changes Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act

On January 14th, the Maine Legislature’s Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to accept the recommendations of the Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act. The Task Force met July through December 2019, to review and propose changes to the Settlement Act, with the goal of recognizing the inherent sovereignty of the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet and Micmac Tribes within Maine, in concert with the status of other federally recognized Tribes throughout the country. Today we hear from Tribal leaders.
For meeting videos, audio, transcripts and other materials:
www.sunlightmediacollective.org
legislature.maine.gov/maine-indian-claims-tf
www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_129th/billpdfs/HP130701.pdf

b) The Judiciary Committee will hold public hearings on proposed legislation on February 14th and 21st at the State House, Room 438.

c) Today we announce a special call-in program on Climate Emergency : Thursday, January 30th, 4-5pm, preceding next week’s regularly scheduled RadioActive. We will look at local efforts to declare and address climate emergency.
Four town councils in Maine have declared a climate emergency : Portland, South Portland, Bar Harbor and Brunswick. On January 21st, the Bar Harbor Town Council passed a directive to create a Task Force on the Climate Emergency. See page 107: www.barharbormaine.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01212020-2455
We will also cover the January 29th meeting of the newly created Maine Climate Council.
www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=Portal_Public_Calendar&id=1706048&v=article_microformat2017

Guests:
Chief Kirk Francis, Penobscot Nation, president of United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) and National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), Natural Resource Committee Chair
Chief Clarissa Sabattis, Houlton Band of Maliseets
Vice Chief, Elizabeth Dana, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik

Today’s program was co-produced by WERU FM/RadioActive and Sunlight Media Collective.