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Mashantucket Pequot leader urges law change to treat tribes as governments in campaign‑finance rules
Summary
The chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation testified in favor of Senate Bill 953 to exclude statutorily or federally recognized tribes from definitions of state contractor and related campaign‑finance terms, arguing current law treats tribes unequally and can impede tribal governments’ ability to contract with the state.
Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, told the GAE committee he supported Senate Bill 953, which would amend Connecticut’s campaign‑finance definitions to exclude state and federally recognized Indian tribes from definitions of "state contractor," "prospective state contractor" and "subcontractor" for campaign‑finance purposes.
Butler said the statutory treatment in practice has placed Connecticut tribes at a disadvantage when seeking state contracts for social services and other governmental functions, including a recent experience contracting with the Office of Early Childhood for home‑visiting services. He argued tribes are governmental entities and should be treated like other municipal or state governmental units that are excluded from certain campaign‑finance limitations.
Butler noted the bill’s sponsors and thanked legislators for raising the issue; he listed Connecticut’s recognized tribes by name and asked the committee to correct the disparity so tribes are on equal footing with other governmental entities when state procurement and campaign finance rules apply.
Ending: Committee members thanked Butler for testifying and noted the issue would be considered in committee; no formal action was recorded during the hearing.
