Golden Announces Chief Kirk Francis, Chief of the Penobscot Nation, as State of the Union Guest

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) announced today that Chief Kirk Francis, Chief of the Penobscot Nation, will join him for this evening’s State of the Union address. The Penobscot Nation is one of four federally recognized Indian tribes in Maine, referred to collectively as the Wabanaki. Chief Francis, a resident of Indian Island, is currently serving his sixth term as Chief.

“I’m honored to have the Chief of the Penobscot Nation, Kirk Francis, as my guest at this year’s State of the Union,” said Congressman Golden. “Chief Francis has been a dedicated leader for the Penobscot Nation and a key advocate in the push to bring equal opportunity to Maine’s tribes. I look forward to working with Chief Francis, as well as the leaders of all of the Wabanaki Tribes in the 118th Congress.”

“It is an honor to represent members of the Penobscot Nation with Congressman Golden at the State of the Union,” said Chief Francis. “I’ve been proud to work alongside the Congressman to bring the Wabanaki tribes in Maine one step closer to being afforded the same federal benefits available to the other 570 tribal governments. I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to bring awareness to this issue of basic fairness which has bipartisan support in Maine.”

Golden has been a champion in Congress for Wabanaki tribal equality. In the 117th Congress, his bill to update the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act (MICSA) to give Wabanaki tribes the same access to future beneficial federal laws as nearly every other federally recognized tribe in America passed the House.

Currently, the Wabanaki tribes in Maine are excluded from many beneficial federal laws that apply to nearly every other federally recognized tribe in the country. Examples of laws that MICSA has prevented from applying to the Wabanaki tribes in the past include the Violence Against Women Act, which allows tribes to prosecute non-Indian defendants for domestic violence crimes against tribal members; the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which allows tribes to employ much-needed medical professionals who are licensed in another state; and the Stafford Act, which allows tribes to directly seek federal disaster relief and emergency assistance.
 

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