1. WEBINAR: NO “MAGIC WORDS” NEEDED – WHAT TRIBES NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BANKRUPTCY IN LIGHT OF LAC DU FLAMBEAU V. COUGHLIN
Last month, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v. Coughlin, holding that Native American tribes are not immune from certain bankruptcy court proceedings, including the automatic stay provision of the Bankruptcy Code.
The case involved an online payday lending operation owned by a tribal government. When a customer sought relief in bankruptcy court, an appellate court and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the tribe’s claims that sovereign immunity prohibited the customer from enforcing the Bankruptcy Code’s automatic stay against it.
On July 27th from 1pm to 2:30pm Eastern Time, NAFOA will be hosting a webinar. Attorneys from Navajo Nation and the law firm Sheppard Mullin will discuss what the ruling means, what tribes should be aware of going forward, and the impact this ruling will have on tribes going forward. The webinar will cover:
- Bankruptcy Basics
- Background on Lac du Flambeau vs Coughlin
- Impact and Mitigation of the Lac du Flambeau vs Coughlin Decision
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2. FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS: ENROLL IN CAREER BASICS TO QUALIFY FOR THE 2024 LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
NAFOA’s Career Basics is open for enrollment for 2023! Career Basics is a free online career readiness and personal finance program designed for 18-27-year-old Native American youth and young professionals.
The program offers coursework that provides opportunities for participants to improve career readiness and personal finance skills, and advance their understanding of issues impacting tribal economies.
Career Basics is also designed to prepare youth for the NAFOA Leadership Summit. Young professionals ages 21-27 years old participating in Career Basics are invited to apply for the NAFOA Leadership Summit.
The 2024 Leadership Summit will be held in Hollywood, FL. Attendees will be staying in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel for the duration of the Summit and Conference. Accepted applicants will receive funding that provides support for the costs associated with participation in the program, including travel/transportation, hotel costs, meals, conference registration fees, and the NAFOA Leadership Summit program fees. A $250 stipend to purchase business formal attire will also be provided
3. FOR TRIBAL LEADERS: 18TH ANNUAL GOVERNMENT-TO-GOVERNMENT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN TRIBAL CONSULTATION
The Office on Violence Against Women is a grant-making agency in the U.S. Department of Justice. Under §903 of Title IX of the United States Department of Justice Reauthorization and Violence Against Women Act of 2005 (VAWA 2005), OVW is responsible for conducting annual government-to-government consultations with the leaders of all Federally recognized Indian tribal governments on behalf of the United States Attorney General.
The purpose of each consultation is to solicit recommendations from tribal government leaders on the following topics:
(1) Administering tribal funds and programs;
(2) Enhancing the safety of Indian women from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, homicide, stalking, and sex trafficking;
(3) Strengthening the federal response to such crimes; and,
(4) Improving access to local, regional, state, and federal crime information databases and criminal justice information systems.
Important Dates
- July 22, 2023: Hotel Room Block Deadline
- August 8-10, 2023: 18th Annual Government-To-Government Violence Against Women Tribal Consultation, Tulsa, OK
- September 11, 2023: Written Testimony Due
- Reminder for Tribal Leaders and Authorized Delegates: If you plan on providing oral testimony during Consultation, please contact Cindy St. Clair for scheduling at cynthia.st.clair@chickasaw.com.
Source: Office on Violence Against Women, Tribal Affairs Division
4. FROM THE NAFOA NAVIGATOR: INDIAN LAND CAPITAL COMPANY TAKES A UNIQUE APPROACH TO LENDING IN INDIAN COUNTRY
By Rjay Brunkow, CEO of Indian Land Capital Company
“This is a historic day for the Bois Forte Band,” said Cathy Chavers, Chairwoman of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa in Northern Minnesota as she signed the paperwork to recover more than 28,000 acres of land wrongfully taken over a century ago. “This acquisition represents the largest restoration of land to our Reservation since our ancestors secured what was to be our permanent and undisturbed homeland.” Completed in June 2022, this historic Bois Forte land recovery was made possible thanks to financing from the Indian Land Capital Company (ILCC), a Certified Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) based in Minnesota that provides alternative loan options to Native Nations for tribal land acquisition projects. “This purchase represents one of the larger transactions in our company’s history,” said ILCC’s Chief Executive Officer Rjay Brunkow, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. “We are honored to help pave the way for this historic land acquisition.”
The land was previously held by timberland owner and lumber manufacturer PotlatchDeltic Corporation and has a troubled history. The Band entered into a treaty with the United States in 1854 that set aside a region around Lake Vermilion as a reservation that was later defined through an 1881 Executive Order. In its 1866 Treaty with the United States, the Band reserved two additional sectors at Nett Lake and Deer Creek to serve as its permanent homeland. Just 20 years later, the federal government changed course, divided the Reservation land and sold it to timber companies and homesteaders. Now the land will be directly managed by the Band under a forest management plan that emphasizes conservation and environmental protection balanced with economic and cultural benefits to the Band and its members.
Source: Al Macias, Fronteras Desk
5. JOBS: LAC VIEUX DESERT BAND OF LAKE SUPERIOR CHIPPEWA INDIANS’ NORTHERN WATERS CASINO AND RESORT IS SEEKING CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
The Director of Finance is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of finances and accounting operations of Lac Vieux Desert Northern Waters Casino Resort and other enterprises under the control of the Lac Vieux Desert Public Enterprise and Finance Commission (“Tribal Enterprise”). This position will oversee the preparation of and the analysis of financial statements, including the coordination and execution of financial related activities to ensure proper financial reporting. This position will be responsible for establishing and enforcing proper accounting methods, policies and principles for the Tribal Enterprise.
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