BACKGROUND
The National Caucus of Native American State Legislators (formerly the National Council of Native American Legislators) was formed in 1992 and met during National Conference of State Legislature (NCSL) meetings whenever possible. The goals of the Caucus include:
- Providing a forum for discussion and increased communication among Native American legislators;
- Increasing awareness of the diverse Native American cultures in the United States;
- Supporting the establishment and maintenance of state-tribal communications to encourage open dialogues, understanding and cooperation; and
- Acting as an advisory body for the National Conference of State Legislatures on issues affecting Native Americans.
The Caucus reconvened regularly scheduled meetings during 2005 as part of the State-Tribal Relations Project, a partnership between NCSL and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and has received support from project staff designed to promote a better understanding of state-tribal issues among policymakers and the public at large.
The caucus is currently comprised of 78 members from 16 states. Membership is open to all Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian state legislators. NCNASL conducts an annual meeting of the full caucus every Fall and meets in conjunction with the annual meetings of the National Conference of State Legislatures and the National Congress of American Indians. NCNASL collaborates with the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators on issues of common interest.
NCNASL Executive Leadership:
Representative John McCoy, Chair (Washington Legislature, Tulalip Tribes)
Representative Joey Jayne, Vice Chair (Montana Legislature, Navajo)
Representative Jonathan Windy Boy, Secretary (Montana Legislature, Chippewa Cree)
Representative Lisa Johnson Billy, Treasurer (Oklahoma Legislature, Chickasaw-Choctaw)
Representative Reggie Joule, Peacekeeper (Alaska Legislature, Inuit)
NCNASL Policy Committees:
- Community Wellness and Criminal Justice
- Economic Development
- Education
- Environment, Water, Natural Resources and Energy
- Health and Human Services
- Transportation
- Tribal Relations and Trust Responsibility