The Firm provides a complete range of lobbying, agency coordination, and general government relations services. This work is performed largely by our legislative specialist who have many years of experience in federal-tribal government relations and expertise in the workings of Congressional committees and key federal agencies with Indian programs jurisdiction. Please see the individual biographies of our legislative specialists which describe the extensive and varied experience of these personnel.

CONTACT:
Karen Funk, Marie Osceola-Branch

Achievements and Actions

• Secured legislative recognition for the Micmac Tribe of Maine

• Helped organize the successful effort to increase contract support spending in the Indian Health Service budget by $35 million in FY 1999 and also $35 million in FY 2000

• Protected United Tribes Technical College from proposals to eliminate its BIA funding and successfully restored the UTTC's funding

• Secured legislation to provide Federal Tort Claim Act coverage to tribal contractors

• Secured enactment of amendments to the FY 1996 welfare reform act that doubled tribal child care funding, that authorized tribes to administer TANF and child support enforcement programs

• Secured passage of a rare congressional reference to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims seeking monetary relief for the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin that was terminated in the 1950's, and subsequently secured the Congressional enactment of the Court's recommended settlement

• Participated in successful effort to defeat congressional attempts to tax tribal gaming revenues

Typical Assignments

• Prepare position papers, testimony, regulatory comments, and briefing materials

• Draft legislation and advocate for enactment of legislation, including legislation strengthening tribal self-determination rights and tribal economic development

• Facilitate and attend meetings with key members of Congress and the Administration and their staffs

• Provide specialized legislative and regulatory analysis and assistance, including appropriations and self-determination issues, health care, child welfare, public broadcasting, and gaming procedures

• Work to defeat legislation that presents threats to tribal sovereignty and self-determination, including recent Congressional proposals to legislatively abolish tribal sovereign immunity, curtail tribal gaming rights, limit self-determination rights, and limit tribal rights under the Indian Child Welfare Act

• Organize and conduct "Communicating with Congress" workshops and legislative update workshops for tribal governments and organizations

• Prepare comments regarding proposed gaming regulations on secretarial procedures and Class II definitions

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