Tribal Council sends Marriage Ordinance amendments out for comment

Tweaks to the recently reinstated Tribal Marriage Ordinance were sent out for a first reading during Tribal Council’s Wednesday, March 9, meeting.

The amendments would require that a marriage ceremony occur on the Tribe’s Reservation and allow Tribal Court to file marriage licenses and certificates with an appropriate county recorder or the Oregon Vital Statistics Office.

By sending it out for a first reading, Tribal Council will be providing the Tribal membership with an opportunity to comment on the proposed amendments before they are formally adopted. An announcement about the amendments and outlining how to submit comments appears in this edition of Smoke Signals.

Tribal Council reinstated the Marriage Ordinance last year after 10 years of it not being on the Tribal books and included a briefly controversial non-discrimination clause that would allow same-sex marriages in Tribal Court.

In other action, Tribal Council approved a non-binding Sunshine Week proclamation that commits to enhancing the membership’s access to Tribal records and information, to increasing information provided electronically and online, and ensures that meetings of Tribal Council, Tribal committees and boards are properly noticed to the membership.

Tribal Council also voted to approve the enrollment of two infants into the Tribe because they meet the requirements outlined in the Enrollment Ordinance and Tribal Constitution.

Tribal Council member Jon A. George joined Culture Department staff members Bobby Mercier, Travis Stewart and Brian Krehbiel to perform the cultural drumming and singing to open the meeting.

The meeting, in its entirety, can be viewed by visiting the Tribal website, www.grandronde.org, clicking on the News tab and then Video.