The Navajo Nation Council Naabik’iyati Committee has started. They are now on Legislation 0153-20, which Clarifies the Presidential Line-Item Veto. It does not add Language to what the Navajo People voted as the Presidential Line-Item Veto.
NAVAJO COUNCIL DELEGATE ELMER BEGAY informed the Naabik’iyati that President encouraging People to tell NNC not to approve 0153-20. President encouraging People to tell NNC not to approve 0153-20. Council Delegate Elmer Begay says President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer are telling the People to pressure their Delegate to vote down Legislation 0153-20 and that their Council Delegates are spending a lot of money on meetings and themselves.
COUNCIL DELEGATE RICK NEZ said There need to be CLAIRICATION on what People voted on versus what is being said out there.
COUNCIL DELEGATE RAYMOND SMITH said the Presidential Line-Item Veto only applies to the annual Comprehensive Budget, and Supplementals Appropriations.
COUNCIL DELEGATE DANIEL TSO, who is sponsoring 0153-20, which seeks the Counci’s clarification of Ballot Language approved by Navajo People in 2009. We have to realize that Legislative staff not responsible for putting New Law into Navajo Nation Code. Perhaps there was Human Error or something, but when the Presidential Line-Item Veto language returned, which was the wording that the Voters on.
NAVAJO COUNCIL CHIEF LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL DANA BOBROFF explained that when 2009 Ballot Language put in Code, it did not match Ballot Wording approved by the Voters in their 2009 Initative. In the 0153-20 Exhibit are the 2009 documents that the Voters voted on, the actual Ballot language. So you could compare wording in Exhibit with Ballot Language and the Wording matches.
Navajo Dept of Justice expanded definition of Supplemental Appropriation to other Funds, such as Sihasin and Permanent Trust Fund.
When the CARES funds came in, unlike other federal funding, which comes with Budget, the CARES funds did not have budgets. And so there is argument that the Presidential Line-Item Veto does not apply to CARES fund.
Perhaps the NDOJ or Controller on call and they explain their positions on the Presidential Line-Item Veto.
COUNCIL DELEGATE EUGENE TSO says he understands that 0153-20 simply provides the Ballot Language that the Navajo Voters voted on as the Presidential Line-Item Veto authority.
COUNCIL DELEGATE MARK FREELAND say he saw President Nez’s petition online and looks like he is turning the People against the Council by claiming that the Council is Violating the People Vote regarding their Approval of Presidential Line-Item Veto in 2009.
COUNCIL DELEGATE AMBER KANAZBAH CROTTY said that during the Budget & Finance Committee debate on 0153-20, she asked if it was clear to public that the actions by Council on 0153-20 regarding the clarification of Presidential Line-Item Veto language to the Navajo Code. Perhaps legislative staff could find audio of Council delegate regarding the addition of language to the Shirley Initiative. I’m unsure if Council Delegates realized that what they approved for Language for Presidential Line-Item Veto was not what Voters saw in Initiative that then President Shirley presented to the Voters as the Presidential Line-Item Veto language.
NNABI’IYATI COMMITTEE VOTES 19-0 on 0153-20, which now goes before Navajo Council. Speaker Seth Damon said that it will take a 2/3 vote to approve 0153-20 when it gets to Council. a 2/3 Vote of Approval requires 16 Yes votes.
The Naabik’iyati is resuming Debate on 0144-23, which seeks Council approval of Waterline, Power Line and Broadband projects funded by CARES money. It is now 3:14 pm.
Greetings Relatives/Frens/Humans, the Navajo Nation Council Naabik’iyati has scheduled two more special meetings in another attempt to spend the more than $663 million in CARES funding. According to Council Chief Legislative Counsel Dana Bobroff, the US Treasury mandated that whatever project is funded with CARES money must be fully completed by Dec. 30 – services delivered and construction project fully completed. Navajo Nation Controller Pearline Kirk added that the Navajo Nation has a 90-day grace period after Dec. 30 to financially close out the project.
During the July 17 Naabik’iyati Committee debate on Legislation 0144-20: which went before Health Education and Human Resources, Budget and Finance. and Resources and Development, the Naabik’iyati voted for two more special meetings, today (7.18.20) and tomorrow (7.19.20) to act on legislation for the full Council, which is scheduled to convene their five-day Summer Session Monday (7.20.20).
The Navajo Nation Council; has final actin over 0144-20, which seeks the Council’s approval of a Navajo Nation CARES Fund Expenditure Plans for Water Projects ($64.2M) , Powerline Projects ($36.4M) and Broadband-Telecommunication Projects ($30.9M).
Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty is sponsoring the Expenditure Plan for Water, Power line and Broadband Telecommunications projects. Council Speaker Seth Damon and Health, Education and Human Services Committee Vice Chairman Carl Slater are co-sponsors.
Crotty and the Naabik’iyati are hoping that President Jonathan Nez refrains from line-item vetoing this latest attempt by the Council to spend the more than $663M in CARES money.
Also during the Naabik’iyati debate yesterday, 7.17.20, the Naabik’iyati started discussing the very Real possibility that the Navajo Nation will not meet the US Treasury’s Dec. 30 deadline to have CARES funded projects Totally Completed. The Council’s first and immediate attempt to begin the official process of spending the more than $663M was the passage of how the Navajo Nation would comply with US Treasury expenditure guidelines, slice through the Navajo government Burdensome and Time Consuming financial process to spend the more than $663M, and create a Navajo Nation government website or page to show what the $663M was allocated for, how the funds are being spent, and what they are being spent on.
But financial goof Nez could NOT see that it was only about policies and procedures legally required by the US Treasury for accountability of the more than $663M. If the Navajo Nation fails to comply with the US Treasury, that could force the Navajo Nation to pay back any of the $663M that was not spent according to US Treasury guidelines.
And so, Nez line item vetoed policy and procedural language which is not what the Navajo People approved as part of their Presidential Line-Item Veto. The Navajo People, in their wisdom, approved the Navajo Nation Presidential Line-Item Veto to prevent any of the Navajo Nation government’s Three Branches, which are the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and Judicial Branch, from misusing the Navajo People’s money.
The Navajo People did not approve their Presidential Line-Item Veto authority for Political Popularity & Threats and therefore Personal Gain.
When Nez uses the Presidential Line-Item Veto, he accuses the Council, in his Veto Message to them that are not being accountable for the $663M.
Meanwhile Nez & Lizer have never produced a Written COMPREHENSIVE Navajo Nation Public Health PLAN that Details how the entire Navajo Nation, not just Nez & Lizer handling out food boxes, issuing public health orders to wash your hands, social distance, shelter in place, and to comply with daily curfew and weekend curfews.
I watched the Nez-Lizer Town Halls, and Press Conferences from and repeatedly requested for DOCUMENTS, not verbal reports, from the Navajo Nation Division of Health, Navajo Health Command Operations Center, Indian Health Services regarding the date IHS started preparing its hospitals and health facilities on the Navajo Nation for the Nation’s first case and their capacity to provide the best medically care for the Navajo people – including PPEs. I never received any Written Reports.
I also requested the name of the Navajo Nation’s Medical Surgeon, who was advising Nez & Lizer. I asked if the Medical Surgeon had Actual Hands-On Experience in Medically Treating victims of other Corona Viruses, such as the Ebola. The Navajo Nation government does not have a Medical Expert.
When you hear or read about Nez & Lizer referring their Health Experts, Nez & Lizer are talking about their Administrative Division Directors with Doctorate Degrees or PhDs, which does not make a PhD a Medical Surgeon,.
The failure of Nez & Lizer to appoint a Navajo Nation Medical Surgeon resulted in NO Medical Advise to the Nation’s first three COVID-19 cases on the Nation regarding what to do to present the community spread and especially family spread of the virus when Navajo individuals who tested positive or who were waiting for test results or who came into contact with an individual who tested positive about what to do – which is isolating yourself from your family, having one member of the family, who has a mask and gloves, to bring the family member food and water, sanitize dishes, clothing, etc.
This type of Medical Advice was not provided from the beginning. But outside media, and even Nez & Lizer, promote the Lie that its the way the Navajo People live that is the Reason the Navajo Nation is considered the COVID-19 Hot Spot in Country and the Navajo People are targeted as the Cause of High Case Numbers in Border towns.
If you listened to all the Navajo Council and committee meetings, you would hear Council delegate after Council delegate talking about how community emergency needs, such as the use of a backhoe to dig a grave.’
Council Delegate Wilson Stewart Jr. pleaded with the Navajo Nation Office of the Controller and Office of Budgets and Management to reduce Financial RED Tape for the payment and use of the Fort Defiance Chapter backhoe so members of the Fort Defiance, Arizona, community could bury their loves ones who were killed by COVID-19.
Other Council Delegates talked about how they are trying to address community emergencies created by COVID-19 and slso other community issues, such as drought and feral horses.
Navajo Council Law and Order Committee Chairwoman Eugenia Charles-Newton said she feels like sponsoring legislation for every Navajo to receive $1,000, if the reality of returning the $553M to the US Treasury becomes REAL.
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PROPOSED NAABIK’ÍYÁTI’ COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA (7/18/2020) Page 1 of 2
NAABIK’ÍYÁTI’ COMMITTEE OF THE
24th NAVAJO NATION COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING (VIA TELECOMMUNICATION)
Window Rock, Navajo Nation
Saturday, July 18, 2020 – 1:00 PM
PROPOSED AGENDA
PRESIDING CHAIR: Honorable Seth Damon, Speaker, Navajo Nation Council
Hon. Seth Damon, Speaker
BUDGET & FINANCE
COMMITTEE
RESOURCES &
DEVELOPMENT COM.
HEALTH, EDUCATION &
HUMAN SERVICES COM.
LAW AND ORDER
COMMITTEE
Hon. Elmer P. Begay Hon. Kee Allen Begay, Jr. Hon. Paul Begay Hon. Eugenia Charles-Newton (C)
Hon. Nathaniel Brown Hon. Herman M. Daniels, Jr. Hon. Pernell Halona Hon. Vince R. James
Hon. Amber Kanazbah Crotty Hon. Mark A. Freeland Hon. Carl Roessel Slater (VC) Hon. Eugene Tso
Hon. Jamie Henio (C) Hon. Rickie Nez (C) Hon. Charlaine Tso Hon. Otto Tso (VC)
Hon. Raymond Smith, Jr. (VC) Hon. Wilson Stewart, Jr. Hon. Daniel E. Tso (C) Hon. Edmund Yazzie
Hon. Jimmy Yellowhair Hon. Thomas Walker, Jr. (VC) Hon. Edison J. Wauneka (C) Chair & (VC) Vice Chair
- CALL MEETING TO ORDER; ROLL CALL; INVOCATION
- RECOGNIZE GUESTS AND VISITING OFFICIALS (2 Minute Limit per Delegate)
- REVIEW AND ADOPT THE AGENDA:
(m) (s) (v) - REVIEW AND ADOPT THE JOURNALS: None
- RECEIVE REPORTS: None
- OLD BUSINESS: None
- NEW BUSINESS: None
- CLOSE OF MEETING; ANNOUNCEMENTS; ADJOURNMENT
AGENDA SUBJECT TO CHANGE: The public is advised that the Navajo Nation Council Agenda and the Agendas of the Standing Committees are not final until
adopted by a majority vote of the Navajo Nation Council or the Standing Committee at a Navajo Nation Council or a Standing Committee meeting pursuant to 2
N.N.C. §§163 and 183, Navajo Nation Council Rule of Order No. 7, and Standing Committee Rule of Order No. 8.
PROPOSED NAABIK’ÍYÁTI’ COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA (7/18/2020) Page 2 of 2
Livestream will be available online at:
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