The National Congress of American Indians
Resolution #ANC-14-050
TITLE: Establishing a Working Committee on Tribal Commerce Issues
WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States, to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the health, safety and welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and
WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was established in 1944 and is the oldest and largest national organization of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments; and
WHEREAS, the NCAI session held in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2013 resulted in the passage of Resolution #TUL-13-018 (attached for reference) that in summary requested support of legislation to establish the Inter-Tribal Trade Act of 2013; that NCAI call upon the President and Congress to promote and secure the enactment of Indian Commerce legislation that acknowledges the authority of Indian nations and tribes to regulate all Indian Commerce on Indian Reservations and lands and between Indian reservations and lands; and that NCAI call upon the President and the Secretary of the Interior to modernize the Federally Licensed Indian Trader Regulations to provide for a Nation Indian Traders License for Indian nations and tribes seeking to engage in a National Native Trade Network; and
WHEREAS, enacting new legislation through Congress can be a time intensive undertaking it would also be worthwhile to have a Committee formed that can address interstate commerce issues as they apply to Indian nations and tribes in currently enacted legislation that could or should be amended in order to achieve the goals of new legislation like the Inter-Tribal Trade Act; and
WHEREAS, Indian tribes and nations do not all have one contiguous land base and have scattered parcels throughout several jurisdictions making Intra-tribal commerce difficult within the tribe or nation in addition to the issues all nations or tribes face with inter-tribal commerce; and
WHEREAS, tribal officials throughout the country have encountered roadblocks to economic development that are often directly tied to interstate commerce laws and other state laws applicable to transportation and commerce and their expertise should be used to develop a list of the most pervasive issues and with the help of NCAI staff, make political and strategic decisions about the best way to get these important issues addressed by Congress.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that in addition to the issues covered by NCAI Resolution #TUL-13-018, that NCAI support the establishment of a workgroup made up of tribal leaders, Indian law attorneys and NCAI staff to develop priorities and strategies for addressing inter-tribal commerce issues; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy of NCAI until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent resolution.
CERTIFICATION
The foregoing resolution was adopted by the General Assembly at the 2014 Mid-Year Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held at the Dena'ina Civic & Convention Center, June 8-11, 2014 in Anchorage, Alaska, with a quorum present.