On Monday, July 24, Tribal Council voted to move forward with one of the three options presented by the Enrollment Eligibility Committee to change eligibility requirements for enrollment.
The option Council is forwarding to the General Council is to “expand the geographic area in which automatic eligibility for enrollment applies at birth from the Tribe’s reservation to the counties in which the Tribe’s u & a areas are located.”
Before this change can go into effect, the Tribe’s Constitution must be amended, which requires many steps as follows:
- Tribal Council will present proposed edits to the Constitution to General Council at the October 2023 General Council. At this meeting, membership will have an opportunity to ask questions and share their thoughts, but no vote will take place.
- During the Spring 2024 General Council meeting, the amendment will be taken up again; if there is a quorum, the General Council will be asked to vote by paper ballot. A ‘yes’ vote would move the proposed amendment to a full vote of the membership. A ‘no’ vote defeats the amendment, and the process stops.
- If the proposed amendment is passed during the Spring 2024 General Council, it is forwarded to the Election Committee, which will administer a vote of the full membership during an election.
- If the membership chooses to adopt the amendment by majority ‘yes’ vote, it will take effect and be added to the Constitution. If the amendment does not receive a majority ‘yes’ vote, it is defeated, and the process stops.
- The change also requires an amendment to Title 25, which staff will present alongside the process of the Constitution amendments.
The Enrollment Eligibility Committee was formed in 2018 at the direction of Tribal Council for the purpose of analyzing available data to determine how enrollment will impact future PGST membership. The Committee includes members from the Enrollment Committee, the Law-and-Order Committee, and Tribal members-at-large, as well as a contracted attorney and other related consultants.
Understanding the impact its work could have on the future of the Tribe and its membership, the Committee has been fully transparent about its findings, creating several opportunities for Tribal membership to learn about and comment on the various options being proposed.
The members of the Enrollment Eligibility Committee thank Tribal Council for their guidance and support throughout this process. They also extend their gratitude to all the PGST members who participated in and shared their thoughts during community meetings and surveys. This feedback played a significant role in the process and the Council’s final decision.
Flowchart showing the Constitutional Amendment Approval Process:
