$3 million election funding emergency resolution line item vetoed

June 4, 2022 at 2:30pm MDT

An emergency funding resolution (Resolution No. CMY-27-22) that would have approved $3,003,441 in Navajo Nation funds for the 2022 elections was line item vetoed May 31 over concerns of existing unspent election monies and errors in documents attached to the resolution.

The Navajo Nation Council voted to approve the funding at its May 13 special session. The original request for funding, however, was made by the Navajo Election Administration on February 15, casting doubt on the its status as an “emergency.”

President Jonathan Nez’s office, via press release, said current proposed legislation (Legislation No. 0051-22), which is making its way through the Council’s committee process, presents another opportunity to approve elections funding, provided the Council addresses the issues pointed out by the Office of Management and Budget’s memo attached to the resolution. That proposed legislation makes the same request but does so through the regular legislative process.

0051-22, introduced March 9 by Council Delegate Wilson Stewart Jr., was considered already by the Council’s Budget and Finance Committee, which has oversight of anything relating to the Navajo Nation Government’s funds. 0051-22 was approved without amendment at that committee on May 3 and now is ready to be considered by the Council’s Naabik’íyáti’ Committee before final action by the full Council.

Unless a special meeting is called or 0051-22 is withdrawn, the legislation will appear on the Naabik’íyáti’ Committee’s proposed agenda for its June 9 regular meeting.

The election administration’s budget has always been an issue during election years, and has been raised as a major issue by the Navajo Board of Election Supervisors repeatedly.

Some supervisors noted during their May 12 meeting that the budget prepared for the emergency legislation by the election administration had not been reviewed by the board.

No override by the Council of CMY-27-22’s line item vetoed amounts is possible. #

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