Wampum

April 18, 2008

Dear Tribal Leader:

I am writing to you to give you an update on pending Indian housing legislation and also to seek your assistance in getting the legislation enacted into law this year.

Culminating years of hard work by Indian Tribes and their Tribally-Designated Housing Entities, legislation has been introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 2786) and U.S. Senate (S. 2062) to reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA). I am happy to report to you that both of these bills have been approved by their respective committees of jurisdiction and, in fact, H.R. 2786 has already passed the House. The Senate legislation, S. 2062, will pass the Senate in the coming weeks. The NAIHC has prepared a summary of the major provisions of these bills that will significantly benefit Native communities nationwide. The summary is attached to this letter.

As you may know, a dispute has arisen within the Cherokee Nation involving the citizenship status of the Cherokee Freedmen within the Tribe, with the Freedmen having filed lawsuits pending in the courts of the Cherokee Nation as well as Federal Court. Unfortunately, this tribal dispute has spilled over into the U.S.
Congress and has the potential to prevent the passage of Indian housing and, indeed, other Indian legislative priorities.

On March 13, 2008, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) indicating that the CBC will actively oppose legislation to reauthorize the NAHASDA unless the legislation includes "a provision that would prevent the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma from receiving
any benefits or funding under the bill until the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is in full compliance with the Treaty of 1866 and recognizes all Cherokee Freedmen and their descendants as tribal citizens."

The NAIHC is cognizant of the delicacy of the issue to the CBC and is also well aware that Indian Tribes conscientiously guard their rights and prerogatives to determine their own citizenship criteria. The NAIHC is very concerned that the Freedmen matter might upend not only the pending NAHASDA reauthorization but the passage of all Indian tribal legislation in this and possibly future congresses. This would be an unfortunate outcome for the hundreds of thousands of American Indian and Alaska Native low income families that would be unwitting victims in a controversy involving one Indian Tribe.

In the absence of some creative, equitable resolution, the NAIHC fears that NAHASDA will fail to be reauthorized this year. We therefore seek your consideration of these matters and look forward to your involvement and support for passage of NAHASDA in 2008.

Sincerely,

Marty Shuravloff
Chairman

A controversy involving one Indian Tribe. So Chad is on his own. As the root cause was Ross' urge to suppress some specific votes, an urge that also moved Wilma Mankiller and now runs through Chad's veins like ... electoral firewater, the core of a "creative, equitable resolution" lies in the CNO ballot box.