- Details
- By Elyse Wild
The Maine legislature is once again considering a bill that would restore the sovereignty of Maine’s Indigenous tribes.
House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) introduced bill L.D. 2007 on Monday to the state’s Judiciary Committee. The 41-page bill proposes implementing recommendations from a 2020 task force report that called for updating the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980.
“(This bill) covers many issues and represents a significant change from current law,” House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, told the Judiciary Committee during a public hearing on her bill. “Given this, I do not expect all its provisions to be enacted into law during this short session. However … I believe it is important to present a bill that sets forth all the remaining issues that need to be addressed, even if we only address a couple of issues each session.”
The bill is the third tribal sovereignty to be introduced in the Maine legislature in recent years. In 2023, Governor Janet Mills vetoed a bill that would have extended federal benefits to Maine tribes. In 2022, a tribal sovereignty bill died on the appropriations table.
The Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 limits tribal authority and excludes Maine tribes from new federal laws unless specifically directed by Congress. The state’s tribes— known collectively as the Wabanaki Nation— are currently excluded from more than 150 federal Indian Laws.
A 2022 study on the economic implications of limited tribal sovereignty in Maine, conducted by a team of researchers from the Harvard Kennedy School, concluded the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act has severely hampered economic development for the Wabanaki Nations and the surrounding non-tribal rural areas. According to the study, since 1989, per capita income among Maine tribes has grown just 9 percent, far behind the 61 percent per capita growth among the rest of Indian Country.
Restoring Wabanaki sovereignty has wide support across the state.
The proposed bill has drawn more than 600 pieces of written testimony, the vast majority in support.
Jerry Reid, Chief Legal Council for Mills, submitted written testimony opposing the bill, citing that as written, it would “lead to serious confusion and conflict.”
Penobscot Nation Tribal Ambassador and Wabanaki Alliance board President Maulian Bryant was among those who submitted written testimony to the judiciary committee in support of the bill.
“It is time to heal old wounds and lift up some of the most marginalized and oppressed people in Maine, but also some of the strongest and spirited,” Bryant wrote. “We have come back to this table in good faith and because of the findings of the bipartisan, bicameral Task Force, which studied and came to the conclusion that the best thing for all of Maine’s people is to modernize these old archaic settlement acts.”
More Stories Like This
50 Years of Self-Determination: How a Landmark Act Empowered Tribal Sovereignty and Transformed Federal-Tribal RelationsMacArthur Foundation Launches Native Self-Determination Program, Pledges Expanded Support
In Runoff Triumph, David Sickey Elected Chairman of Coushatta Tribe
San Carlos Tribe Celebrates Temporary Victory in Federal Court to Save Oak Flat
LAND BACK: 47,097 Acres Returned to Yurok Tribe
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
