Navajo Council Naabik’iyati Committee having interesting and heated debate over LEGISLATION 0123-14, which calls for the Council to approve a referendum for the Navajo people to vote on amending on Navajo law that would replace the Navajo Council with the Navajo people regarding who would be the governing body of the Navajo Nation. I was busy uploading YouTube video of Dine’ for Sanctions Against Israel demonstrating outside Council chamber where Naabi was meeting and so I blogging from about middle of debate on 0123-14. But I’m video taping debate and I’ll upload debate to YouTube later today because it’ a debate that the Navajo people deserve and need to hear about how their elected officials think about them.

DELEGATE LEONARD TSOSIE
We never had this on the Government Development Subcommittee agenda. yes, Delegate Jonathan Nez talks about proposed legislation but he keeps it in is pocket and the Subcommittee never put Legislation 123-14 before Subcommittee.

And DELEGATE KATHERINE BENALLY raises good point about natural resources. Wat if a chapter resolution supercedes any of this and chapter declares proposed development area as sacred site and then council can’t act. there are too many questions.

i don’t deny that i’m running for re-election.

I’m not voting yes or not cuz of election but cuz of serious concerns in this legislation 0123-14.

and remember how we brought in local community people to be part of proposed Navajo Hopi Little Colorado River Water Settlement? we flew them to Washington DC to be there when we met with Interior Secretary Salazar. HOw many other governments do that?

and this 0123-14 only impacts Legislative Branch and so the other branches, Executive and Judicial Branches, will throw 0123-14 in our face and so 0123-14 will create disharmony.

and the sponsor, Delegate Jonathan Nez, said he brought 0123-14 before us several other times and so to me that means that he’s not listening to us and that he’ll just keep bringing 0123-14 to us until we pass it.

and regarding campaign expenses, which Delegate Lorenzo Curley brought up, there are some presidential candidates that started spending before announcing their candidacy.

DELEGATE LEONARD PETE
PAGE 2, LINE 10 – this says that Navajo people delegating only a certain amount of power but where does it say that we, the council, have all this power in the first place.

I’m concerned about the proposed Navajo Nation Rangeland Management Improvement Act? how will this referendum impact that? will the local governments/chapters be allowed to overrule the Council’s Rangeland Management Improvement Act?