(The Center Square) – Historic legislation benefiting Maine’s Native Americans has been signed into law.
The Mi’kmaq Restoration Act was signed Thursday morning by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. The new law directly resulted from negotiations, dialogue, and partnership among the Mi’kmaq Nation, the governor’s office, and the Office of the Attorney General.
According to a release, the new law extends the same rights and benefits enjoyed by other Wabanaki Nations in Maine to the Mi’kmaq Nation. Another bill focusing on the Indian Child Welfare Act was signed into law.
“This landmark agreement is an example of what the state and the Tribes can accomplish with dialogue and collaboration,” Mills said in a statement. “I am proud to sign this legislation into law and to extend to the Mi’kmaq Nation the same rights and authorities enjoyed by other Tribes in Maine.”
Under the new law, according to a release, the pact grants the Mi’kmaq Nation jurisdictional rights and benefits that the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation currently enjoy. It will give the Mi’kmaq Nation authority over tribal matters, regulatory control over natural resources, substance fishing rights, and other rights possessed by other Maine tribes.
The Mi’kmaq Nation, formerly known as the Aroostook Band of Micmacs, wasn’t featured in the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980, unlike the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation. A subsequent settlement with Maine provided the nation with “significant federal funding” that was used to purchase trust land.
However, that agreement had not granted the Mi’kmaq Nation the same regulatory authority as other tribes in the state.
The law came about as members of the Mi’kmaq Nation approached Gov. Mills in January, and the attorney general, to discuss creating legislation designed to widen the rights and authority of the nation, according to a release.
According to a release, the meetings culminated with the Senate and House overwhelmingly passing last month before arriving on the governor’s desk.
The agreement will now take effect when all four tribes ratify the pact.
According to a release, Mills also signed the Maine Indian Child Welfare Act and An At Regarding the Main Indian Tribal-State Commission into law. The child welfare act provides rights and safeguards for custody and child welfare proceedings. The second act improved the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission actions.
