WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — During the second day of the Winter Council Session on Jan. 23, the 25th Navajo Nation Council voted 17-0 to override Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren’s veto of a resolution to allow for virtual attendance at chapter meetings.

When the Naabik’iyati’ Committee considered the legislation on Dec. 28, legislation sponsor, Council Delegate Vince James (Jeddito, Cornfields, Ganado, Kin Dah Lichíí, Steamboat), stated that the legislation does not mandate chapters to allow virtual attendance, but gives chapters the option to develop procedures to allow virtual participation for community members.

“It gives each chapter the right to choose whether or not they...

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – During the opening day of the 2024 Winter Council Session, 25th Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley provided a report that focused on several key issues, including finalizing an Arizona water rights settlement proposal, state legislative priorities, and expending American Rescue Plan Act funds for infrastructure projects.

At the start of the Jan. 22 session, Curley recognized Council Delegate Seth Damon (Bááháálí, Chichiltah, Manuelito, Tsé Lichíí’, Rock Springs, Tsayatoh) who recently announced his resignation as a member of the Council to accept the position of Deputy Secretary of the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department.

In his nine years...

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The 25th Navajo Nation Council Delegate Seth Damon (Bááháálí, Chichiltah, Manuelito, Tsé Lichíí’, Rock Springs, Tsayatoh), former Speaker of the 24th Navajo Nation Council, announced on Jan. 17 that he will resign as a member of the 25th Navajo Nation Council, effective Jan. 22, to accept the position of Deputy Secretary for the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department.

Damon made the announcement in Window Rock, Arizona, during a meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee, which he previously chaired under the 23rd Navajo Nation Council. He has served as an elected member of the Council since January 2015, representing the communities of Bááháálí...

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued her sixth State of the State address, the second of her second term as governor, laying out her legislative priorities for the 2024 legislative session on Jan. 16.

The legislative priorities are supported through the governor's FY25 Executive Budget Recommendation, and encompass initiatives in housing and homelessness, health care and behavioral health, education and child wellbeing, public safety, economic development, infrastructure, and tax reform.

Lujan Grisham’s legislative agenda for the 2024 session of the New Mexico Legislature includes:

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INFASTRUCTURE

Dedicate 2% (approx. $170 million) of the...