Tribal Council amends Burial Fund Ordinance

The Tribe's assistance when a family member walks on improved after amendments to the Burial Fund Ordinance were approved by Tribal Council on Wednesday, July 9.

Among the approved amendments, the burial benefit is increasing from $3,500 to $5,500 and the reception benefit is increasing from $150 to $300.

The amendments also clarify that the burial benefit does not include reimbursement for prepaid funeral expenses before death and defines a child as a person who is 25 years of age or younger and a natural, adoptive or stepchild of the Tribal member.

The amended ordinance also defines spouse as a legally married spouse under the applicable Tribal, state or foreign law in which the marriage was entered, which could include same-sex marriages.

Families also can use a portion of the burial benefit to purchase a Tribal blanket or a carved wooden urn from the Tribe for the funeral service.

In other action, Tribal Council:

• Approved the enrollment of one infant into the Tribe;
• Corrected two roll numbers assigned in error;
• Approved  a supplemental budget appropriation increase to the 2014 budget that will account for the $2.7 million Employment Services building to be constructed next to the Tribal Community Center;
• Appointed Tribal Council member Kathleen Tom to the Governor's Regional Solutions Advisory Committee;
• Authorized Titu Asghar, director of Economic Development, to file the necessary documents with the state to form Dakta II, LLC, for the purpose of investing in a proposed health industry business opportunity;
• Remanded 86 disenrollment cases back to the Enrollment Committee for final decision per the rules under the Enrollment Ordinance, which was amended on July 2 with an emergency clause to remove Tribal Council review from the involuntary loss of membership process.

Also included in the July 9 Tribal Council packet was an authorization to proceed that permits the Tribe's Fish and Wildlife Program to go ahead with a project designed to re-establish Pacific lamprey above the Fall Creek reservoir. The project will monitor for adult survival, spawning success, and distribution and abundance above and below the reservoir for approximately one life span of the lamprey.

Education Department Manager Eirik Thorsgard, Land and Culture employees Mike Karnosh and Jan Looking Wolf Reibach, Tribal Council member Jon A. George and Tribal member Eric Bernando opened the meeting with cultural drumming and singing.

The July 9 meeting can be viewed on the Tribal website, www.grandronde.org, under the Video tab.