The 24TH NAVAJO NATION COUNCIL
Office of the Speaker

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 9, 2020

Third Special Session to be held Friday, April 10

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — A third Special Session of the 24th Navajo Nation Council will be held Friday, Apr. 10 at 10:00 AM that will include action on new emergency legislation relating to the Navajo Nation’s ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) response efforts.

“The 24th Navajo Nation Council is continuing to work on streamlining the Nation’s policies and processes to make our response efforts quicker to carry out while maintaining accountability,” said Speaker Seth Damon. “At the same time, the Council will be taking into consideration major developments at the federal, state and local levels that will impact the Nation.”

The proposed agenda is subject to revision until it is accepted by the Council at the beginning of the session. Currently, the proposed agenda includes three legislation posted to the Council’s website.

Legislation No. 0068-20, sponsored by Hon. Eugene Tso, is an emergency legislation that would have the effect of making the Naabik’íyáti’ Committee the Committee of the Whole during the emergency declaration. If approved, the Committee would have final approval for all legislation normally assigned to other standing committees.

Legislation No. 0075-20, sponsored by Hon. Eugene Tso, would postpone the 2020 Navajo Nation Chapter Elections for one year as an emergency measure during the COVID-19 health crisis. If approved by the Navajo Nation Council, the legislation would also extend current chapter official terms of service for the same amount of time.

Legislation No. 0076-20, sponsored by Hon. Thomas Walker, Jr., relates to the current state of emergency and adds to the Theft and Related Offenses section of Title 17 of the Navajo Nation Code a provision for excessive pricing during a declared state of emergency. The measure proposes a specific price ceiling within a given amount of time beyond which penalties are imposed in addition to nályééh, or restitution.

The Special Session will be tentatively held at the Navajo Nation Council Chamber and will be closed to the general public under the existing public health orders. The session will be streamed online through Vimeo, Youtube and Facebook and council delegates will be participating via teleconference.

The Office of Legislative Counsel confirmed several other legislative items that Council may consider are currently undergoing review for possible inclusion in the Special Session agenda.

More information, including links to the Navajo Nation Council’s online video streaming services, can be found at www.navajonationcouncil.org.