Maine Gov. Janet Mills vetoes bill giving federal rights to Wabanaki tribe
Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has vetoed a bill that would have given tribes in the state greater access to federal welfare laws. Despite overwhelming bipartisan support in the House and Senate, Mills rejected the bill on Friday (ID 2004).
The four Wabanaki tribes have long demanded the same rights as other tribes in the country. The governor's decision to veto a bill whose passage Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis called "a landmark victory in the quest for Wabanaki self-determination" has confused observers and angered the tribe.
It was the second time Mills has vetoed a bill that would have extended sovereignty to tribes, whose sovereign rights have been limited compared with Native American groups in other states.
"Conflict and Litigation"
In a six-page veto letter, Mills said the bill contains "many complex provisions that, in my view, create very serious risks of conflict and litigation rather than cooperation and communication."
ID 2004 would put Maine's tribes on equal footing with the other 570 federally recognized tribes in the United States and give them access to federal benefits denied under the 1980 Land Title Settlement Agreement.
Or almost equal.
The federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) does not allow tribes to organize secondary gaming on their reservations. It was a concession the bill's authors made to gain support from Maine Republicans.
Sports Betting Remedies
Under the Maine Indian Claims Act (MICSA), tribes were granted a narrow version of many of the sovereign rights enjoyed by other Indian tribes, including the right to organize gambling. Currently, their reservations are considered municipalities, meaning they are still subject to state law.
MICSA also clarifies that federal laws enacted after 1980 do not apply to the Wabanaki Tribe unless the law specifically refers to Maine. The 1988 IGRA codified Native Americans' gambling rights on tribal lands but failed to do so.
Mills attempted to correct this imbalance in part by leading negotiations with tribes to legalize sports betting and agreeing to grant them exclusivity for mobile betting. Maine legalized sports betting in the spring of 2022, but the state's rollout is still up in the air.
Can be overridden
ID 2004 passed the state Legislature by a supermajority, receiving the two-thirds vote needed to override the governor's veto.
But there is no guarantee that this will happen. Lawmakers who were previously persuaded to support the bill may now balk when asked to vote against the governor, without much wiggle room.
"...A bipartisan majority in the Legislature passed this bill, which is why I will work tirelessly to tap into those same lawmakers and override this veto," said House Speaker Talbot Ross (Poland) Trump Democratic Party) said. A statement.
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Source: www.casino.org
