Burgum highlights progress, outlines challenges in fourth conference on state-tribal partnerships

BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Doug Burgum at the moment welcomed tribal members and different attendees to the fourth Strengthening Authorities to Authorities Partnerships and Relationships Convention, highlighting progress made by way of collaboration between the state and North Dakota’s tribal nations during the last two years and outlining challenges and alternatives to handle within the upcoming legislative session and past.

“Whereas we’ve made nice progress within the final 5 and a half years, we all know that that is just the start,” Burgum, who has prioritized tribal partnerships as one in all his 5 strategic initiatives, stated throughout his keynote handle. “There are gaps that also exist, and we additionally perceive that no two tribal nations are the identical. Every has bought totally different wants, whether or not it’s transportation, employment, emergency companies, regulation enforcement, well being care, training, financial improvement, tax agreements, or preventing the scourge of medication, all people’s totally different. However we’ve all bought issues in frequent. … We’ve bought plentiful sources, we’ve bought individuals who care. We will collectively deal with even the largest challenges that may be in entrance of us.”

About 250 individuals registered for the two-day convention, which was first held in January 2018 and was final held in January 2020, simply earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic hit North Dakota. Tribal leaders and elders, state company leaders and workers, statewide elected officers and legislators are amongst these attending the convention. The North Dakota Indian Affairs Fee workplace, led by Government Director Nathan Davis, is internet hosting the convention on the Bismarck Occasion Middle. Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford and First Woman Kathryn Helgaas Burgum are among the many convention audio system.

The governor shared his gratitude for the continuing partnership and collaboration by the chairs of the 5 tribal nations that share geography with North Dakota: Chairman Jamie Azure of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Chairman Doug Yankton of Spirit Lake Nation, Chairwoman Janet Alkire of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Chairman Mark Fox of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation, and Chairman Delbert Hopkins of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate.

Burgum highlighted the progress made for the reason that final convention, together with:

• The North Dakota Freeway Patrol entered an settlement with the MHA Nation to reinforce emergency response on the Fort Berthold Reservation. The settlement, signed by Burgum and Fox, permits the closest obtainable peace officer to answer an emergency name for service till the company with major jurisdiction arrives and assumes the lead. The settlement to permit mutual assist throughout reservation boundaries was made attainable by laws signed in 2019 and 2021. The same settlement with Spirit Lake Nation will probably be signed at 11:15 a.m. Tuesday in the course of the second day of the convention.
• Burgum signed laws offering a framework for the state and MHA Nation to share tax income from oil wells that straddle the boundary of the Fort Berthold Reservation, settling an unresolved problem from the state’s historic 2019 tax settlement with MHA.
• The North Dakota Nationwide Guard completed signing memorandums of settlement with all 5 tribal faculties in North Dakota to make the State Tuition Help program obtainable to certified scholar service members attending school.
• Burgum additionally signed laws to permit North Dakota Info Know-how to enter into agreements with tribes and different authorities entities to help with cybersecurity incident response, and to permit the state Division of Transportation to enter into agreements with tribal governments to help with federally funded security enchancment initiatives on tribal-owned highways, streets, roads and bridges.
• The Freeway Patrol created and applied a five-member prison interdiction workforce that focuses on drug and human trafficking and different prison exercise occurring on roadways within the state. The workforce is tasked with working intently with tribal regulation enforcement to intercept unlawful substances destined for North Dakota reservations.

The governor outlined challenges and alternatives which were recognized with the Indian Affairs Fee workplace and different cupboard companies as points to handle in the course of the 2023 legislative session and past, together with enhancing entry to major and emergency care; eliminating meals deserts; decreasing limitations to accessing capital; tribal gaming; increasing regulation enforcement, cybersecurity and tax-sharing agreements; and rising tribal tourism. Different convention matters embrace maximizing funding from the Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act, drug power activity power enlargement and growing behavioral well being companies for tribal communities.

“We’ve bought to problem ourselves to do the issues that we’re speaking about, together with to essentially pay attention to one another,” Burgum stated. “And a part of that may be a part of the therapeutic that has to happen, to attain a better understanding of our shared historical past. … We, proper right here on this room, working collectively, can go away a legacy of understanding, empathy and mutual respect.”