Today the Wabanaki Alliance released its legislative scorecard for the 131st session of the Maine State Legislature. The analysis and compilation of votes on Wabanaki-related bills is keeping in line with the political advocacy work of the organization and its commitment to educating the people of Maine on issues of tribal sovereignty. The Wabanaki Alliance believes documenting how lawmakers vote on Wabanaki-related bills fulfills important aspects of its organizational mission.
Since the Wabanaki Alliance formed in 2020, the mission has been to advance legislation that supports the recognition of the inherent self-determination of the tribes. Part of this mission is highlighting the voting records of representatives and senators at the conclusion of each legislature. Votes actually cast by legislators offer the most definitive evidence of an individual’s support or opposition to particular Wabanaki concerns. The Wabanaki Alliance uses the scorecard to measure the progress and to determine how the organization and the Wabanaki Alliance Tribal Coalition can best celebrate the lawmakers that are generally supportive and hold accountable lawmakers that are consistent barriers to advancing these important policy priorities.
Representative Aaron Dana of the Passamaquoddy Tribe is the only Tribal Representative to the legislature and serves on the Judiciary Committee which considers the majority of the tribal-related bills. Reflecting on the scorecard and the voting records of his peers relating to Wabanaki concerns, “It’s an honor to represent the Passamaquoddy Tribe in Augusta. Numerous colleagues from both sides of the aisle I now consider friends. The scorecard indicates that both Democrats and Republicans are understanding the importance of tribal issues. They understand that what benefits their tribal neighbors’ benefits Maine. In past scorecards, we would have legislators with scores of zero. As you can see, that isn’t the case anymore. There is still much more work to be done but we are making progress. Legislators who take the time to understand the issues realize tribal issues are to be championed not feared.”
The Wabanaki Alliance took into consideration the votes on the following bills when developing this scorecard:
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- LD 229: An Act to Compensate Tribal Governments for Basic Training for a Law Enforcement Officer Hired by Another Government Agency
- LD 336: An Act Regarding State Recognition of Native American Tribes
- LD 1349: An Act to Review State Lands and Waterways That Have Sacred, Traditional or Other Significance to the Wabanaki People
- LD 1642: An Act to Strengthen the Teaching of Wabanaki Studies in Maine Schools
- LD 1679: An Act Regarding the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission
- LD 1834: An Act to Establish the Office of Tribal-State Affairs
- LD 1835: An Act to Require the State to Notify Indian Tribes and Indian Nations When New Laws Are Enacted That Need to Be Certified
- LD 2004: An Act to Restore Access to Federal Laws Beneficial to the Wabanaki Nations
- LD 2007: An Act to Advance Self-determination for Wabanaki Nations
- LD 2228: An Act to Establish the Wabanaki Veterans Memorial
This scorecard contains the lead sponsors of the bills, descriptions of the content, status, and how each member voted. Please also see our complete endorsement list as well as our bill tracker to stay up to date on all pertinent legislation and how lawmakers are voting on these issues central to the interests of Wabanaki Tribal Nations.
