Committee Meeting Information

July 10 and 11, 2008

Fort Washakie, Wyoming

 

Committee Members Present

Senator Cale Case, Co-Chairman

Representative Del McOmie, Co-Chairman

Senator Bill Vasey

Representative Patrick Goggles

 

Committee Members Absent

Senator Wayne Johnson

Senator Rodney "Pete" Anderson

 

Legislative Service Office Staff

Ian D. Shaw, Staff Attorney

Alex Kean, Research Analyst

 

Others Present at Meeting

Please refer to Appendix 1 to review the Committee Sign-in Sheet
for a list of other individuals who attended the meeting.

 

 

Call To Order (Thursday, July 10, 2008) 

Co-Chairman Case called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. and asked the Committee and attendees to introduce themselves.  The following sections summarize the Committee proceedings by topic.  Please refer to Appendix 2 to review the Committee Meeting Agenda. 

 

Executive Summary

The Committee heard updates and discussion on various topics, including juvenile justice, reservation infrastructure, water, health, public services and services provided by the State.  The Committee discussed the state services data collection report and started planning the Tribal Education Summit to be held in August, 2008.

 

Committee Statutory and Interim Assignments

The Committee discussed their interim study topics [Appendix 3].  The next Committee meeting will be August 27 and 28, 2008 and the Tribal Education Summit is scheduled for the first day of that meeting, August 27^th.

 

Tribal Governance

A letter from Anthony A. Addison Sr., Chairman of the Northern Arapaho Business Council, was read explaining the separate character of each Indian Tribe on the Wind River Indian Reservation and requesting that the Legislature be mindful of the separateness. [Appendix 4]  The Committee acknowledged each Tribe's separate governance and committed to communicating and dealing with Tribal and Reservation issues with this separateness in mind. 

 

Tribal Liaison Update

Gary Collins discussed Indian Health Services and Medicaid issues on the Reservation.  He updated the Committee on current issues regarding the applicability of Department of Education standards on the Reservation, future heating costs and the flow of receipts and budgeting by the Department of Family Services.

 

Ed Wadda gave the Committee a gaming update, discussed the denial of unification for the Fort Washakie school and summarized the status of the job corps center, multi-cultural advisory health, Community Initiatives funding, Fremont Counseling's decision to stop being a physical agent, Source Gas and Public Service Commission issues and West Nile infections.

 

Tribal culture

Chairman Addison discussed various issues that are important on the Reservation, including state funding, education, health, Tribal youth, economic development and substance abuse.  He discussed the history of the Reservation and asked that state government be more sensitive to the cultural and social differences that exist.  Co-Chair Case acknowledged those differences and explained that the recognition of these differences is a key purpose of the Tribal Relations Committee.

 

 

Juvenile Justice

Tony Lewis, Director of the Department of Family Services ("DFS"), Honorable Richard Ferris, Tribal Judge, Skip Hornecker, Fremont County Sheriff, Chuck Kratz, Detention Officer, Chairman Addison, Carol Justice, Kerry Jacobson, Assistant U.S. Attorney and Norman Willow, Arapaho Business Council member,  spoke to the Committee about the Reservation's juvenile justice system.  The speakers outlined the current issues and generally agreed that the most important elements of juvenile justice are programming, intake and placement.   Leslie Shakespeare, Don Trosper, Thelma Rose and Tom Kennah also addressed the committee on behalf of DFS.   Mr. Kratz provided two handouts related to the number of juveniles detained and the nature of juvenile cases in Fremont County. [Appendix 5]   Jackie Dorothy gave the Committee a handout describing a potential location for a juvenile justice center. [Appendix  6]  Carol Justice provided the Committee with a number of diagrams and proposals related to juvenile justice systems. [Appendix 7 ] 

 

The Committee also explored Title 25, Commitment, proceedings and how they are handled and funded when Tribal members are involved.   With Eagle's Wings was discussed and the Committee considered why their funding has been reduced.  The Committee voted to confirm with the Department of Health why With Eagle's Wings has lost significant funding.

 

The Committee asked that DFS approach the Wyoming Business Council and otherwise attempt to get funding to further address juvenile needs on the Reservation.  The Committee asked that Mr. Lewis update the Committee on any progress during its August meeting.

 

 

Highways and transportation

Delbert McOmie, Chief Engineer, Wyoming Department of Transportation (Wyo.DOT), summarized the current status of state roadway projects within the Reservation and explained the various efforts necessary to accomplish these projects.  Mr. McOmie provided the Committee with a copy of Interchange Magazine [Appendix 8] and a map of roadway projects [Appendix 9].  The discussion included the Reservation's portion of the WYOLINK communications system and the use of Reservation labor on projects.   Darwin St.Clair explained the TERO program and how it requires Indian labor on Reservation projects.

 

As part of this discussion, the Committee voted to try to put together a meeting of all interested parties for a summit on obtaining rights-of-way within the Reservation.  The participants might include Wyo.DOT, the Wyoming Public Service Commission, utilities operating on the Reservation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Tribal Business Councils, Tribal land owners and other private industry.   The Chairmen asked that this issue be placed on the August meeting agenda.

 

 

Public Utilities

Mary Byrnes, Commissioner, Public Service Commission ("PSC"), explained recent activity and regulatory proceedings regarding the provision of natural gas, telecommunications and electric service on the Reservation.  Denise Parr, PSC Consumer Advocate, talked to the Committee about the costs of energy and the upcoming increases.

 

Verlyn Engler, Norm Long and Teri Dobrinski discuss Source Gas' recent regulatory proceedings concerning their service on the Reservation and the agreement they reached with the PSC.  Mr. Engler provided a handout demonstrating the ways in which a house owner will be able to finance a switch to natural gas. [Appendix 10]   

 

Michael Ceballos talked to the Committee about Qwest's operations on the Reservation and various upgrades that are currently being accomplished, or are soon to be accomplished.

 

Michael Kenny from Dubois Telephone Exchange also described his company's recent activities and operations on the Reservation.

 

 

 

 

Meeting Recess

The Committee recessed until 8:30 a.m. Friday morning.

 

Call To Order (July 11, 2008)

Co-Chairman McOmie called the meeting back to order at 8:30 a.m. 

 

Water Issues

Orville St.Clair, Eastern Shoshone Business Council, discussed Tribal and Reservation water issues and the priority positions of various entities.  The Committee discussed the importance of developing water storage and explored whether a pilot project could be organized to show that water projects can work on the Reservation.

 

The Committee read and discussed a letter from the State Engineers office declaring that it will no longer pay for water monitoring.  [Appendix 11] 

 

Floyd Phillips, Eastern Shoshone Business Council, and Norman Willow, Arapaho Business Council, stated that the Tribes are reluctant to work with the State on local projects because, often, the state demands disproportional benefits.  For example, the state will demand that it get a right-of-way if state funding is used.

 

The Committee engaged in a lengthy conversation about the status of certain Wyoming Water Development Commission projects which have been delayed because of contract-language disputes.  The Committee asked that LSO prepare a letter for the co-chairmen's signatures asking Chris Boswell to get involved and to open a dialog with the Attorney General's office.

 

State Services Data Collection

The Committee considered a draft report prepared by LSO.  The Committee suggested changes and will consider a new draft at the August meeting.

 

Planning for August Tribal Education Summit

Representative Goggles and Co-Chair McOmie agreed to draft a preliminary agenda to be circulated to the Committee.  The Committee directed LSO to send individual invitations to each Tribal Business Council member.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting Adjournment

The next meeting will be August 27 and 28, 2008 at Central Wyoming College in Riverton. There being no further business, Co-Chairman McOmie adjourned the meeting at 12:30 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                 

Senator Cale Case, Co-Chair                                        Representative Del McOmie, Co-Chair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix		Appendix Topic		Appendix Description		Appendix Provider
1		Committee Sign-In Sheet		Lists meeting attendees		Legislative Service Office
2		Committee Meeting Agenda		Provides an outline of the topics the Committee planned to address at meeting		Legislative Service Office
3		Committee assignments		2008 Approved Interim Committee Studies		Legislative Service Office
4		7/1/08 Northern Arapaho Letter		Letter detailing the separate governance of the two Tribes on the Wind River Indian Reservation		Legislative Service Office
5		Juvenile Justice		Statistics on Reservation juvenile justice		Fremont County
6		Juvenile Justice		Map of possible property for juvenile justice center		Jesse Dorothy
7		Juvenile Justice		Proposals for structuring juvenile justice		Carol Justice
8		Highways / Transportation		Interchange Magazine		Wyo.DOT
9		Highways/Transportation		Map of Reservation highway projects		Wyo.DOT
10		Public Services and Utilities		Source Gas Financing Examples		Source Gas
11		Water		7/9/08 State Engineer Letter declining further payments for water monitoring		Legislative Service Office