December 14, 2010 – Yesterday in Washington while Obama was working on the tax bill and signing into law another bill to help with school lunch programs for children, Chairman Steve Ortiz was in a Health and Human Services (HHS) Tribal Advisory Committee meeting with Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. At the same time, new Tribal Council Member Jancita Warrington was attending a National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA)/National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Legislative Meeting.
Both Council members are in Washington, D.C. this week with other Indian leaders preparing for the White House Tribal Nations Conference on Thursday where tribal leaders will get to meet with Obama throughout the day.
Oritz was selected to the new HHS Tribal Advisory Council that is meeting for two days. Tomorrow he will attend a Tribal Consultation Meeting at the Department of Interior and attend evening receptions at the National Museum of American Indian and National Congress of American headquarters.
Warrington listened to several legislators yesterday at the NCAI/NIGA Meeting including Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA), and Byron L. Dorgan (D-ND) as well as others. Today she will attend a Tribal Preparatory Meeting also sponsored
by the NCAI/NIGA whose purpose is to gather information to collectively pose meaningful questions for the President during Thursday’s conference. Warrington is also meeting with other legislators and policy makers at the Department of the Interior and will also attend the receptions planned.
Jancita Warrington, Tribal Council Member, attended the NCAI/NIGA Legislative meeting.
Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) was one of six legislators who spoke at the meeting yesterday. Others were Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Nick Rahall II (D-WV), Tom Cole (R-OK), Mark Begich (D-AK).
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), recently elected to Congress from Alaska, spoke at the NCAI/NIGA Legislative meeting yesterday.
Capitol building.