LD 2007
Restoring Criminal Jurisdiction of Tribal Courts
An Act Regarding the Criminal Jurisdiction of Tribal Courts and to Extend the Time for the Penobscot Nation to Certify Its Agreement to Public Law 2023, Chapter 369
LD 2007 represents the latest effort to amend the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act, recognized as unjustly restricting powers of Wabanaki Nations to self-govern and impeding economic development both within Wabanaki communities and the surrounding areas. As originally introduced last year, LD 2007 was a much more comprehensive bill that would have included many provisions towards self determination for the tribes in Maine. The revised version of LD 2007 reflects the engagement of leaders of the Wabanaki Nations with the attorney general’s office, the governor’s office, the Judiciary Committee, bill sponsor House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, and its bipartisan co-sponsors to find common ground on the important issue of criminal jurisdiction — a foundational aspect of self-governance for tribal nations. The bill restores jurisdiction over certain criminal offenses to tribal jurisdiction and creates concurrent jurisdiction between tribal and state courts. It also recognizes the exclusive authority of the Penobscot Nation to regulate drinking water, similar to the authority gained by the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik in legislation passed in 2022.
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