Committee Meeting Information

June 26 and 27, 2007

The Inn at Lander, Best Western

Lander, Wyoming

 

Committee Members Present

Senator Cale Case, Co-Chairman

Representative Del McOmie, Co-Chairman

Senator Wayne Johnson

Senator Bill Vasey

Representative Rodney "Pete" Anderson

Representative Patrick Goggles

 

Legislative Service Office Staff

Maxine Weaver, Staff Attorney

 

Others Present at Meeting

Please refer to Appendix 1 to review the Committee Sign-in Sheet
for a list of other individuals who attended the meeting.

 

 

Call To Order (Tuesday, June 26, 2007) 

Co-Chairman Case called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and asked the Committee and attendees to introduce themselves.  The following sections summarize the Committee proceedings by topic.  Please refer to Appendix 2 to review the Committee Meeting Agenda. 

 

Executive Summary

The Committee heard updates and discussion on various topics, including water, health, public services and utilities, education and services provided in Fremont County.  The Committee began planning for the state services data collection report due to the legislature June 30, 2008 and planning for the State-Tribal Summit to be held in October, 2007.

 

Committee Statutory and Interim Assignments

The Committee discussed their interim study topics [Appendix 3] and the State-Tribal Summit [Appendix 4].  The next Committee meeting will be August 20 and 21, 2007 and the State-Tribal Summit is scheduled for October 2-4, 2007.

 

Co-Chairman Case presented a brief review of legislative efforts from the previous legislative sessions

 

State and Tribal Officials

Ivan Posey, Chairman of the Shoshone Business Council and Willie Noseep and Orville St. Clair with the Shoshone Business Council discussed various issues of concern to the Eastern Shoshone Indian Tribe, including, the need to educate the rest of the state regarding Tribal issues, the need to work on State-Tribal policies, water storage, developing a water use management plan, education in general, St. Stephens funding, the need to get more tribal information in Wyoming history classes and an update on Shoshone gaming.

 

Kip Crofts with Governor Freudenthal's office discussed water funding and supporting other partnerships on the reservation.

 

Planning for October State-Tribal Summit - Water Section

Mike Purcell, Director of the Wyoming Water Development Office, Pat Tyrrell, State Engineer, Loren Smith, Division III Engineer, Sandra C'Bearing, Arapaho Co-Chairman of the Wind River Water Resources Control Board and Bill Russell, Tribal Engineer, updated the Committee on various water projects on the reservation, including storage, municipal water supplies, irrigation water, administration, planning, construction and operations of various projects.  Many expressed concerns with decreased funding levels from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).

 

Vocational Rehabilitation

Pamela Rodriguez and Ben Richley with the Northern Arapaho Vocational Rehabilitation explained the need for vocational rehabilitation and asked for additional time at the August meeting [Appendix 5]. 

 

Planning for October State-Tribal Summit – Health Section

Betty Sones, Multicultural Health Program Manager, Wyoming Department of Health, Angeline Spoonhunter, Arapaho Acting Tribal Health Director, Harmony Spoonhunter, Shoshone Tribal Health Director, Michelle Antone, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Indian Health Services and Derek Bailey with Wyoming Primary Care Association provided information on the Community Health Center, general health care conditions, hospital and emergency preparedness, disparity of heath care services, tele-health and what can be done to enhance other programs [Appendix 6].  Ms. Sones explained the state minority health services has been changed to multicultural heath services.

 

State Services Data Collection

The Committee discussed the report they are to prepare and present to the legislature June 30, 2008 [Appendix 7]. 

 

Meeting Recess

The Committee recessed until 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

 

Call To Order (June 27, 2007)

Co-Chairman McOmie called the meeting back to order at 8:30 a.m. 

 

Planning for October State-Tribal Summit – Public Services and Utilities Section

Cindy Lewis, Chair of the Wyoming Public Service Commission (PSC), Steve Oxley, Deputy Chair of the PSC and Mary Byrnes, PSC Commissioner, presented information regarding the quality and the extent of services on the Wind River Indian Reservation, including natural gas and telecommunications.  The PSC has a rate case with Source Gas, formerly Kinder Morgan where Source Gas is filing a plan every six (6) months [Appendices 8 and 9]. 

 

Fremont County Update

Doug Thompson, Chairman of the Fremont County Commission, Pat Hickerson and Keja Whiteman, Fremont County Commissioners, Scott Harnsberger, Fremont County Treasurer, Julie Freese, Fremont County Clerk, Dale Groutage, Don Connell and Howard Johnson with Fremont County Solid Waste and Ed Newell, Fremont County District Attorney, explained services provided  by Fremont County, including access to services and funding, jurisdiction, social services, road maintenance and access, youth services, law enforcement, probation, elections and solid waste regional plans [Appendix 10]. 

 

Education Update

Sergio Maldonado, Director of Northern Arapaho Tribal Education could not stay for the discussion but left a handout for the Committee [Appendix 11]. 

 

Marilyn Grosbeck, St. Stephens Elementary School Principal, Judith Lorenz, Business Manager at Saint Stephens Indian School, Keja Whiteman, St. Stephens school board member, Gene Meyer, Superintendent of Fort Washakie Virtual High School, Shad Hamilton, Principal of Fort Washakie Virtual High School, Michelle Hoffman, Superintendent of Wyoming Indian Schools, Michael O'Donnell, Special Assistant Attorney General, Gregory Cox and Clint Way with Fremont School District #21 and Mr. Posey provided information to the Committee regarding funding, contracts, testing results, needs of the schools on the reservation, distance learning, St. Stephens school and the Fort Washakie Virtual High School [Appendices 12 through 15].  

 

Dawn Bitz, Juvenile and Adult Drug Court Coordinator for the Shoshone & Arapaho Tribes Substance Abuse Court presented background information on her role and experience with the drug court.

 

Public Comment

Mr. Wadda, Tribal Liaison for the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, updated the Committee on various activities, including the Community Health Center, the Wyoming Job Corps, water issues, Reservation legislative funding, diabetes, Tribal-State Policy, 17 Mile Ground Breaking, Moccasin Lake Road, St. Stephens School and Wind River Development Fund-Business Ready Communities [Appendix 16]. 

 

Meeting Adjournment

The next meeting will be August 20 and 21, 2007 in Lander/Fort Washakie.  The Fall State-Tribal Summit will be October 2-4, 2007 on the Wind River Indian Reservation.  There being no further business, Co-Chairman McOmie adjourned the meeting at 3:00 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

 

Senator Cale Case, Co-Chairman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix		Appendix Topic		Appendix Description		Appendix Provider
1		Committee Sign-In Sheet		Lists meeting attendees		Legislative Service Office
2		Committee Meeting Agenda		Provides an outline of the topics the Committee planned to address at meeting		Legislative Service Office
3		Committee assignments		2007 Approved Interim Committee Studies		Legislative Service Office
4		2007 Legislation		2007 Budget sections 339 and 340		Legislative Service Office
5		Education		Northern Arapaho Vocational Rehabilitation Brochure		Northern Arapaho Vocational Rehabilitation
6		Health		Health Disparity State Plan		Office of Multicultural Health
7		Reports		June 15, 2007 Reports Due List		Legislative Service Office
8		Public Services and Utilities		December 1, 2006 Report Number 1		Public Service Commission
9		Public Services and Utilities		June 1, 2007 Report Number 2		Public Service Commission
10		County Officials		April 12, 2007 Letter to Congressional Delegation		Fremont County and Prosecuting Attorney
11		Education		Newspaper article		Sergio Maldonado
12		Education		June 14, 2007 Letter from Michael O'Donnell		School Finance Counsel
13		Education		June 12, 2007 Attorney General Opinion		Attorney General's Office
14		Education		June 25, 2007 Letter		Department of Education
15		Education		June 27, 2007 Report to the Select Committee on Tribal Relations		Fremont County School District #14 – Wyoming Indian Schools
16		Public Comment		Comment Summary		Edward Wadda