Gov. Mike Dunleavy will sign a bill giving state recognition to Alaska’s 229 federally recognized Native tribes, the Alaska Federation of Natives said last week.
In a ceremony scheduled for this Thursday, the governor will also sign bills creating child welfare and education agreements between the state and tribal governments, AFN said.
State recognition is not expected to affect tribes’ legal relations with the state, but supporters have said it is an important symbolic statement by the state, which has historically fought efforts by tribes to exert their sovereignty.
The measure, sponsored by Bethel Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky, passed the Legislature in May.
Supporters of the bill have called it an overdue step that would create opportunities for the state and tribes to work together.
“This is an historic moment for all Alaska Tribes,” AFN President Julie Kitka said in a prepared statement. “The acknowledgment of our 229 federally recognized tribes by the state of Alaska is a step toward building a stronger relationship with our state government.”
Last year, supporters of tribal recognition launched a ballot measure to put the issue in front of voters. The measure garnered enough signatures to put the measure on the November general election ballot, but Alaska’s constitution contains a clause that allows a measure to be removed if the Legislature passes a “substantially similar” law.
In June, the Alaska Department of Law concluded that the tribal recognition bill meets that standard and the measure will be removed from the ballot.
The AlaskaBeacon.com is a donor-funded independent news organization in Alaska.
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