After spending months in the works, a new election ordinance is now in effect for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

A bill to aid law enforcement in the location and prosecuting cases of missing and murdered Native American women and girls passed in the senate Dec. 6. Both the chair and vice chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hailed its passage. The Office of Tribal Prosecutor also praised its passage.

On Oct. 5, a federal district court in Texas ruled that the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was unconstitutional because it was a race-based preference law.

Citing a need to better serve tribal members’ housing needs, Tribal Council passed an ordinance to combine the services of Qualla Housing Authority (QHA) and tribal Housing and Community Development at the Dec. 6 session. Travis Smith, secretary of Housing and Community Development, said, “The services of Qualla Housing, they’re not going away.”

With 25 days left before Tribal Council can adopt changes to the Tribe’s election laws, Tribal Council voted to retable a proposed ordinance Dec. 6 with changes and amendments. With an ordinance passed in September, changes can be made to election laws until Dec. 31. The election year is now defined as Jan. 1 – Sept. 30 that a general election takes place.