2014 CPN Legislature.
Following the elections and swearing in at the June 28 General Council Meeting, the 2014-15 CPN Legislature met for the first time on June 30. Resolutions supporting funding applications for the 2014 fiscal year were approved for the Conservation Law Enforcement Officer Program, Family Violence Prevention Program, a museum and library enhancement program and a humanities and collections reference resource program. The Legislature also approved two CPN applications to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be treated in the same manner as a state for eligibility purposes regarding regulations of the U.S. Clean Water Act. The tribe is also seeking two separate grants that fall under the Clean Water Act, both applications of which were approved. CPN’s Transportation Improvement Plan was adopted and approved ahead of its submission to the Federal Highway Administration. The body also passed a resolution supporting CPN’s Women, Infants and Children’s Program in its funding request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a mobile office.
The Legislature approved additional funding for transportation of CPN members to this year’s Potawatomi Gathering of Nations in Gun Lake, Mich. along with a donation for the host tribe. Tribal member Daniel LeClaire was confirmed as the new Executive Director of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Gaming Commission.
The governing body also granted Tribal Chairman John Barrett the authority to negotiate a ground lease for the location of a proposed indoor sports center. Vice-Chairman Linda Capps and Secretary-Treasurer D. Wayne Trousdale have similarly been authorized to sign documents necessary to complete a loan agreement between CPN and First National Bank and Trust.
As the final order of business, seventy new Tribal member applications were approved by the Legislature.
On June 16, 2014 a special legislative meeting was called. The one item of business addressed was a funding request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a Rural Business Opportunity Grant. If approved by the Department of Agriculture, the funds would be used to run a feasibility study for a data center. The measure passed with unanimous consent from the 15 legislators in attendance.
The May 22 Tribal Legislative meeting was a busy affair, with the Legislature approving a resolution authoring the Tribe’s application for funding with a Tribal Historical Preservation Office grant program. Applications for grants funding the voucher and after-school child care services program, tribal youth program, Healthy Heart Initiative, diabetes program, community block development program, Lower Income Home and Energy Assistance Program and Tribal Homeland Security also passed.
Consolidation of CPN’s employment and training services through Public Law 102-477 was approved while funding increases were allotted for the Tribe’s Sanitation Facilities Construction Program. Fee-to-trust acquisition applications for four non-gaming properties were likewise approved pending submission to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
198 new membership applications to the Citizen Potawatomi Nation were approved.
Amendments were also made to the Tribal Code on Shoplifting and the CPN Gaming Ordinances, while a new ordinance establishing the Innkeepers’ Right Act was unanimously approved. An executive session was held before the passage of an ordinance regulating the use of tribal resources in preparation of city and state sales tax reports.
Another proposed amendment of Title 13, Chapter 1, Section 1010 concerning Family Relations failed with six in favor, six opposed, three absent and one abstention.