Wotanin wowapi 1988-10-27

              Brockton X-CC Team Successfully Defends State Title
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Frazer School's Red Ribbon Activities
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Apathy, scorn impede return to the old ways
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Wotanin Wotvapi
"Serving the Fort Peck Reservation"
Ft. Peck Tribes, ASTI visited by Senator Melcher and staff
Senator John Melcher and Democratic candidate for State Senate Chuck Trinder surrounded by Wolf Point Headstart kids, and teacher lyola Bearcub, all in safety glasses at ASTI last Monday following a tour.
Briefs�
Secretary-accountant, others selected by board
POPLAR�Democratic Senator John Melcher and three of his Washington, DC staff were in Poplar on Monday, October 24 where the senator toured A&S Tribal Industries and a staff member briefed the Tribal Executive Board on major bills passed by Congress that affect Indian tribes.
Following a breakfast at the Sherman Motor Inn with Democratic supporters, Senator Melcher and aide Max Richman toured ASTI at the same time as the Wolf Point Headstart children.
At the same time, Clara Spotted Elk, a Northe'rn Cheyenne who has been on Melcher's Washington, DC staff for 3 years, provided an update to the council on such bills as the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, Indian Gaming Legislation, Indian Self-Determination Act, Indian Finance Act.
The Fort Peck Tribes Sexual Abuse Victims Treatment Project, a pilot project in it's first year of research, will be funded for 3 years. Both the House and Senate accepted Melcher's amendment to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to authorize three years funding. "The (Tribes') timing was good" by the tribal delegation that traveled to Washington, DC seeking refunding of the SAVTP in August, said Spotted Elk.
The "mammoth bill", the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, was passed this year after 6 years in Congress, reported Spotted Elk. She urged the Tribes to contact Congressman Ron Marlenee to encourage him to Marlenee to encourage the President to sign the bill.
The bill reauthorizes funding of existing IHS programs and there are some new ones. �
One of the new ones is the Health Professionals Prepatory Program and the IHS Clinical Staff Recruitment and Retention bill.
Senator Melcher has worked . out the IHS Clinical Staff Recruitment and Retention Bill, reported his aide. The bill would try to get the level of'lHS professionals salary comparable to the Veterans Adminstration and would set up a competitive grant program for Tribes to figure out ways to recruit and retain health professionals at IHS clinics, stated Spotted Elk. Appropriations would be available in 1990, and the main thing in the bill is that IHS would pay up to a certain amount a year on college loans of IHS professionals.
One of IHS' biggest objectives is to get more Indians into the health field, and the bill has some wavs to assist, accordine to Sdo�-ted Elk. Besides the Health Professional Prepatory Program, the Act would get iNMtu more active on reservations and elementary level schools, and set up two more INMED programs in different parts of the country, she reported.
Grants would also be provided to tribal community colleges to get more Indians into the health professionals.
The Act has a new catastrophic health care program, retains the CHRs, and does more work in diabetes and prevention, stated Spotted Elk.
There is also a moratorium on the IHS eligibility changes for one
(Page 2 �Updates)
Tribes used to deal with FPHA delinquencies
POPLAR � The Tribal Executive Board, on Tuesday, Oct. 25, voted by secret ballot for Paula Brien as the Tribes secretary-accountant, and approved of her third 2-year- appointment.
There were four applicants and all four names were brought to the council lor selection. Brien received 6 votes; JTPA director Robert Longtree Sr. 3 votes; Roxanne Gourneau 1; and Lionel D. Johnson 1. Brien was first appointed to the position in 1985 by the council. This is the first time the position was advertised. Brien's appointment was up Friday, Oct. 21.
The council also selected personnel for three new positions. Arlene Small was selected as Records Management coordinator over 2 other applicants, and Linda Boyd as clerk, also over 3 other applicants.
Henri Headdress was selected over 3 other applicants for Economic Analyst, where he will be working for the Planning Department setting up an economic information system.
In other action concerning tribal positions, the council rescinded a portion of a resolution on advertising for a part-time juvenile/associate judge and that Mary Gourneau be retained in the position starting immediately.
Gourneau, who was reappointed to a 2-year term as an associate tribal judge in 1987, was "furloughed" from her job at her request in July, 1988 due to budget contraints in the Court, and her return was based on availability of funds in the new fiscal year. During the FY89 tribal budget process, the board voted to do away with the associate judge position and advertise for a part-time juvenile/associate judge.
At Monday's council meeting, Reservation Safety Committee chairman Arlyn Headdress said he "misunderstood" Gourneau's furlough request. "She didn't want to be terminated, only furloughed to the end of the fiscal year. So she should have been retained."
Councilwoman Pearl Hopkins questioned what this will do to any other applicants who may have applied for the job.
Councilman Caleb Shields at first took the stand that Gourneau "vacated" her position and that the juvenile/associate judge position was a new position that, according to the Code of Justice, would require a two-thirds vote by secret ballot to fill. In addition, he pointed out there was another tribal resolution that requires any newly appointed judges, or those reappointed, to take a closed book tribal bar exam. These need to be addressed, he said.
After further discussions and
rereading a copy of Gourneau's letter requesting furlough, Shields made the motion to amend the resolution, thus halting further advertisement, retaining her, and requiring her to take a closed book bar exam when her appointment is up in 1989.
In other action taken by the council in their 2-day meeting this past Monday and Tuesday, they approved transfer of Turnkey III homes to Mutual Help homes. According to the council, this will only be for those who are current on their payments to Ft. Peck Housing Authority and will allow them to own their homes. If the council did not take this action Tk III participants wouldn't own their homes until all TK III participants paid off their homes. There are not many to be involved in this transaction, it was reported.
A five percent increase in wages was approved of for the Community Health Representatives and they will receive their increase from federal funds to the Tribal Health.
In action regarding the vacant tribal controller position, the council voted to eliminate all applicants who did not meet the CPA requirement and to bring the top 3 applicants to the board for an interview, with travel expenses paid from the "lapsed" money in the controller salary line item.
(Page 2 - Briefs)
POPLAR-The Tribal Executive Board was urged to deal with tribal employees who are delinquent to the Fort Peck Housing Authority, or they would have no recourse but eviction, FPHA attorney Carol Connors said.
Tribal employees represent the largest block or employed people on the reservation who are delinquent, Connors reported. Forty-four tribal employees owe FPHA $137,600, which is "a very serious problem."
As FPHA attorney, Connors, a tribal member, told the council she is facing the consequences of a recent memo from the tribal attorneys that the tribal court cannot court order garnishment of wages of tribal employees and council members to satisfy their delinquencies.
She said letters were sent to all tribal employees who are delinquent, there was a committment from the Tribes to get the tenents accounts receiveables paid, and as a result of this, letters were sent and the Tribes Personnel Department notified, she said. Of the 44 on the list, 8 responded and 7 tribal employees came to a satisfactory agreement to repay their delinquencies and keep their payments current, said Connors.
Housing has no recourse but evictions, she said. As "boss of all the employees," she told the
council, be advised that the only way Housing would have equal access to the individuals is if the Tribes agreed to a limited waiver for deductions. That wouldn't mean the Tribes are "throwing their sovereignty away," said Connors, but HUD would be satisfied that the Tribes are working with Housing. She encouraged the council to discuss this with their attorney.
Councilman Arlyn Headdress said tribal employees would have to be wrong to feel they don't have to pay Housing.
Connors said, but they do feel this way. New housing and CIAP funding can be taken away by the government if a solution is not sought, she said.
Connors also asked the Tribal Board to consider hiring a judge to just hear Housing cases.
The Tribes Landlord-Tenent Code "desperately needs to be revised," said Connors. There was no coordination with the FPHA, the largest landlord on the reservation, when this section was passed, she said. "It's totally inadequate." She said she feels it would be appropriate for the Tribes to pay for a revision.
Headdress said the court ad-minstrator has a line item in the court budget that may be able to hire a judge to come in to hear Housing cases on a case by case basis.
Connors said FPHA has tried to
solve the delinquency problem internally, but it never works. "The Tribes have a policy if tribal employees don't pay, you can do something, you have that authority. It's up to you to do that and I suspect you have other priorities. We tried the voluntary stuff, but it's not working."
Councilman Caleb Shields said the bottom line is, no one else will be held responsible if Housing contracts are cancelled and there are no more homes. "Housing Authority won't be, this Tribal Executive Board will be. It's important we try to resolve the whole issue to the satisfaction of HUD, they're the ones deciding future homes," said Shields. Delinquencies will jeopardize future homes, and with the housing needs on this reservation, we'llprobably need about another 1000 more, he said, and construction-wise, that's years into the future.
The chairman, Ray White Tail Feather, said this has been an ongoing problem and will continue unless we do something about it. "It's time to get serious."
The Tribal Board will be meeting with tribal attorney Reid Chambers on Tuesday, Nov. 15 regarding garnishment issues and Connors was invited to his
meeting on behalf of FPHA.
Tribal Justice System training planned
POPLAR�Due to the lack of public information regarding the tribal court and tribal justice system, and the need for developing a viable court of record, and the onset of a proposed amendment to the Indian Civil Rights Act, the court adminstrator and office of the in-house counsel for the Tribes are in the process of developing a series or public information and training sessions to be done within six months in Poplar and Wolf Point.
In a joint release from the court adminstrator Leighton Reum and in-house attorney Robert McAnally, the series will include 13 topics such as the Indian Civil Rights Act, the Indian youth and juvenile justice system, probate law, evidence and objections, contracts, personal injury, opinion writing and ethics, criminal     procedure,    civil
procedure, child abuse and neglect, Indian housing law, tribal court management, alcohol and substance arouse, and the Comprehensive Code of Justice.
The total sessions will involve 150 hours of public training that will be free, and be mandatory for the court employees, stated McAnally. The sessions will tentatively begin in December.
They will utilize local attorneys and lay counselors as trainers in special areas, he said.
They will be negotiating for college credit for participants and certificates will be awarded to those attending the sessions, said McAnally.
The training sessions will be utilizing material from the National Indian Justice Center, with permission, and other resources, he said.
(Page 2 �Training)
ASTI Award
POPLAR-The Fort Peck Tribes was presented a Certificate of National Merit award for A&S Tribal Industries for their work in fixed asset purchasing, camouflage netting production and facilities expansion.
As a result of a $325,000 Community Development Block Grant award and a $690,600 ASTI contribution, the total project cost was $1,015,600. 32 new positions were created and that turned into 36 positions within 6 months after the CDBG award, it was reported.
The CDBG award significantly enhanced the company's capability to produce raw netting. Ted Zellio, of CDBG, was present regarding the award.
Shown left to right is ASTI board chairman, Norman Hollow, ASTI general manager, Bill Nuelman and tribal chairman Ray White Tail Feathers.