Page 3 - Windy Boy News Today

Buffalo’s Fire Montana governor signs Indigenous caucus bills into law

Gov. Greg Gianforte recently signed into law a bill outlawing drag performances on public property, a bill defining sex as either “male” or “female” and a bill placing language from the federal Indian Child Welfare Act in state statute.

One codifies parts of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act into state law. A second brings accountability to Indian Education for All. And a third revises the Montana Indian Language

When people in Crow Agency see Rep. Sharon Stewart Peregoy around town and ask her how the legislative session went, she tells them, “It was terrible.”

Some wins, some losses, and ambitions for next time

Buffalo’s Fire Looking back on Montana Indigenous caucus 2023 session

The legislature passed a number of bills related to tribes in Montana that still await Gov. Greg Gianforte’s signature. These included a bill putting in place reporting requirements for Indian Education for All funds, a bill placing the Indian Child Welfare Act in state code and a bill reimbursing Lake County for federal criminal jurisdiction on the Flathead Reservation.

The 2023 Legislative Session concluded on Tuesday, and several bills that promote progress in Indian Country have advanced.

JoVonne Wagner Montana Free Press Indigenous Legislative Fellow for 2023 A legislative conference committee voted against restoring the original

A conference committee accepted the majority of an amendment brought for a bill that would codify parts of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act into state law on Friday.