Tribal Relations

The Select Committee on Tribal Relations, which Representative Larsen is the Co-Chairman along with Senator Cale Case, met recently on November 13-14.  Three topics surfaces as priorites that need attention”

1. Funding structure of the Tribal Departments of Family Services

   a. The legislature recently directed the State Department of Family Services to restructure the funding provided to the Eastern Shoshone , and Northern Arapahoe tribes for the protective services provided to children requiring those services.

   b. Both tribes have run into problems paying for services incurred in the previous biennium, which is causing this biennium’s budget to be expended prematurely

2. Illegal dumping of municipal solid waste at cease and transfer stations locations, and locations where no disposal facilities exist.   All of this is taking place on the reservation and the waste is be generated from on and off the reservation.

   a. The committee was able to have representatives from Fremont County Landfill Board, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Solid Waste Division, and from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency who has official oversite of solid waste on the reservation.

3. Truancy and absenteeism by students attending schools on the reservation.

   a. The committee completed some preliminary work with the Fremont County school districts, the Fremont County Courts, and the Tribal Courts to see what statutes and tribal ordinances need to be corrected or created.

On December 7th Representative Larsen along with Korin Schmit who is the acting director for the Department of Family Services, and Jennifer Neely who is the State DFS liaison to the Eastern Shoshone, and Northern Arapaho Tribes, met with both tribes to have further discussions on the unpaid invoices to service providers serving children on the reservation.  At the conclusion a plan was developed with each tribe to reimburese them for money used to pay invoice for services receive in the previous biennium.

On December 21st Representative Larsen accompanied Governor-elect Gordon to meet with both tribes where Governor-elect Gordon was brought up to date on the concerns the tribes have with their current funding challenges associated with their DFS services.  Representative Larsen and the tribal representatives outlined the plan to rectify the problem.