# employee has a concern > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Aminn_chippewa_mille_lacs%3A997865bbb6484034 ## Record - **Collection:** Tribal code - **Document type:** Tribal code ## Text Legislative Process Band member or Band employee has a concern Band member or Band employee reaches out to a District Representative If District Representative agrees that there should be change, he or she will sponsor a bill District Representative will reach out to the Revisor of Statutes to start drafting a bill that meets the need of the Band member or Band employee Once a bill is drafted, Band Assembly will hold working sessions to review the language and finalize a draft for public comment Once there is a final draft, Band Assembly might have a public comment period to seek Band member and Band employee comments and feedback. If there isn’t a time scheduled for public comment, Band Assembly will place it on the agenda. When the time for public comment ends, Band Assembly will collect the comments and hold more working sessions to address concerns Once Band Assembly is comfortable with the final draft of the bill they will place it on the agenda The District Representatives will take action on the bill – approve, deny, or table. Important Legislative Definitions: • Bill: means proposed legislation under consideration by the Band Assembly. • Act: means a bill that has been presented to the Chief Executive. • Law: an act that has been approved by the Band Assembly and has not been vetoed by the Chief Executive. • Statute: means an act that has been codified into Band law pursuant to Title 25. For more information, please review the Frequently Asked Questions document on the Tribal Register. If approved by the Band Assembly, the act will be sent to the Chief Executive The Chief Executive will sign, veto, request a compromise hearing, or there will be no action. Sign: the act becomes law. If permanent law, it will be codified by the Revisor. Veto: if there is a veto, a written message must be sent to the Band Assembly. A veto by the Chief Executive is a total veto of the entire act. Compromise: if a compromise is not reached, the act dies. If a compromise is reached, a new act with the changed language will be placed on the Band Assembly agenda. No Action: If no action is taken within 5 days, the act becomes law. 1. Idea A bill is an idea for a new law or an idea to change the current law. Anyone can suggest an idea for a bill. 2. Authors Each bill must have a District Representative to sponsor and introduce it on the Band Assembly agenda. The sponsor is the one whose name appears on the bill. The Revisor of Statutes must have a District Representative be willing to sponsor a bill prior to the Revisor working on the bill. 3. Legal Form The Revisor of Statutes and other legislative staff work with the District Representative sponsoring the bill to create a first draft. The Revisor is responsible for assuring that the form of the bill complies with the rules and drafting manual. 4. Workshops. Once the first draft is complete, the Revisor, legislative staff, and District Representatives will work through the draft bill at workshops. Typically, multiple workshops are held to ensure the District Representatives are ready to introduce it in Band Assembly. Prior to introducing a bill, the District Representatives will invite stakeholders to workshops. 5. Comment Period Pursuant to Legislative Order 28-20, Band Assembly may provide a comment period. Comments periods give Band members and Band employees an opportunity to comment on draft bills during a specified period of time. Once the comment period concludes, the District Representatives will hold at least one more working session to review comments and make any desired changes to the draft bill. 6. Formal Public Hearing Pursuant to 3 MLBS § 17(a), “[t]he Band Assembly shall conduct formal public hearings on any bill which alters, amends, or repeals Titles 1, 3, 4 and 5, Chapter 1 of Title 2, and Subchapters 1 to 3 of Chapter 3 of Title 24 of the Mille Lacs Band Statutes. The Band Assembly may conduct formal public hearings on any or all other bills at their discretion. Formal public hearings shall be held in all appropriate districts of the Band’s Reservation prior to the time that the Band Assembly seeks to formally act upon said bill. Additionally, each bill shall be posted in a conspicuous location for ten (10) calendar days after said bill has been introduced at a formal public hearing. This provision shall not apply to any bill on which no formal public hearing has been held.” 7. Introduction Once a final draft of the bill is ready for action, the sponsoring District Representative will introduce the bill during a meeting of the Band Assembly. 8. Band Assembly Action Once a bill has been introduced, the Band Assembly may take action to approve or deny the bill. 9. Chief Executive Pursuant to 3 MLBS § 17, after formal action of the Band Assembly, no later than 72 hours, a bill shall be delivered to the Chief Executive. The Chief shall have five (5) calendar days from the date of receipt to either sign the bill into law, or veto the bill and return it to the Band Assembly with a written veto message containing the objections to the bill. In the event the Chief Executive neither signs the bill nor vetoes it, it shall become law without the Chief Executive’s signature after the expiration of five (5) calendar days from date of receipt of the bill. Any bill which has been vetoed and returned by the Chief Executive shall have a compromise hearing within five (5) calendar days of the return. Failure of the Band Assembly to act within the five (5) calendar days shall halt further action on said bill for 180 calendar days. Fifteen calendar days shall be available to negotiate an agreement for the bill's passage into law. Should an agreement not be concluded within the allotted time, further action on the bill is precluded for 180 calendar days from said date. Appropriation bills shall be excluded from the above time schedule. A veto by the Chief Executive is a total veto of the entire bill. Sectional vetoes shall be prohibited pursuant to the provisions of this section. 10. Codification into Statute Once a bill is signed into law, the Revisor of Statutes shall codify any permanent, general law into statute. Law that does not become codified will still be available on the Tribal Register, under Acts/Ordinances. --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Aminn_chippewa_mille_lacs%3A997865bbb6484034. Public record. Not legal advice.