Maulian Bryant, executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance, speaks at a press conference announcing legislative priorities.
The Wabanaki Alliance held a press conference on Monday, February 3 at the Maine State House to outline the coalition’s legislative priorities for the 132nd Maine Legislature. Leaders discussed how advancing Wabanaki sovereignty strengthens communities and economies across the state.
The press conference comes as the Legislature prepares for public hearings on several bills critical to the Wabanaki Nations, including LD 785, An Act to Advance Self-determination for Wabanaki Nations, which would modernize the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act (MICSA) to restore the Wabanaki Nations’ ability to access federal self-determination policies available to 570 other federally recognized tribes nationwide.
For 40 years, restrictions in MICSA have blocked the Wabanaki Nations from federal programs that have helped other tribes create thousands of jobs and generate hundreds of millions in economic activity. According to a 2022 Harvard Kennedy School report, tribal self-government would add $330 million annually to Maine’s GDP, create more than 2,700 jobs—with over half filled by non-tribal rural Mainers—and generate $39 million yearly in state and local tax revenue.
“As the tribal communities rise, we all rise,” said Maulian Bryant, executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance. “The full recognition of tribal sovereignty is one of the most important and meaningful things the Legislature can accomplish this year. When we remove the barriers that have held back the Wabanaki Nations for more than 40 years, we unlock economic opportunity and shared prosperity for tribal communities and rural Maine alike.”
Previous efforts to advance tribal sovereignty drew testimony from more than 1,600 Mainers and passed with strong bipartisan support. The Wabanaki Alliance Coalition now includes over 330 businesses and organizations, including environmental groups, labor unions, faith-based organizations.
“The Wabanaki have been protecting Maine’s environment and maintaining sustainable ecological practices for millennia,” Bryant continued. “We will continue to do so—it’s our heritage and our responsibility. But we can do so much more when we have the tools and sovereignty that other tribes have used to lift up their communities and their neighbors.”
In addition to LD 785, the Wabanaki Alliance also discussed support for:
-
- LD 395, An Act to Restore Access to Federal Laws Beneficial to the Wabanaki Nations — Would ensure the Wabanaki Nations are not excluded when Congress passes federal legislation for tribes nationwide, as they have been at least 151 times over the past 40 years.
- LD 1474, An Act to Strengthen the Teaching of Wabanaki Studies in Maine Schools — Creates a Wabanaki Studies Specialist position within the Maine Department of Education to oversee compliance with the 2001 Wabanaki Studies Law, which requires inclusion of Wabanaki history and culture in K-12 curricula but has been largely ignored by most school districts.
Visit our Bill Tracker to learn more about Wabanaki Alliance legislative priorities and actions you can take to help pass key legislation!
