Regrettably, Bill Bridgeo’s modest first session as state representative in  House District 60 may be most notable for his vote to uphold Gov. Mills’ appalling veto of L.D. 2004, An Act to Restore Access to Federal Laws Beneficial to the Wabanaki Nations. Neither Mills nor Bridgeo offered a serious reason for defeating L.D. 2004. Killing this effort was especially disappointing since it stood out as compromise legislation with strong bipartisan support.

The bill was widely recognized as a small step towards placing the tribes on the same footing as the other federally recognized tribes across the country. By upholding the governor’s veto, Bridgeo cast Maine as an outlier compared to every other state in the country. Now, when federal legislation is passed to benefit tribal nations, the Wabanaki will continue to be the only tribes that must be specifically written into the legislation. All of the other 570 federally recognized tribes across the country are automatically included when Congress acts.

Instead of changing this inequity by saying that the Wabanaki Nations are included in beneficial federal laws, unless they are written out, we are left with a stain on Maine’s reputation for an egregious failure to take a stand for simple justice.

 

Christopher McKinnon

Augusta

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