General
The Non-Removable Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is a federally recognized, sovereign tribe. At the core of tribal sovereignty is the power to make and enforce laws within tribal jurisdiction. The Band makes laws by Band Assembly passing a Bill, which then becomes an Act. If the Chief Executive signs an Act, it then becomes laws.
Band statutes is a compilation of the general and permanent laws of the Band, incorporating new laws, amendments, or repeals of old law. All laws not included in Band statutes can be found in Acts/Ordinances based on the fiscal year of their enactment.
Historical Notes
In current statutes, each section has a historical and statutory note, which cites where that section came from. There are three types of citations: Mille Lacs Code (MLC), Band Ordinance, and Band Act. The MLC was the Band's first statutes that came about in the late 1970's and early 1980's (when the Band went from a Reservation Business Committee to a three branch government). Once the Band became a three branch government, they started passing laws by using Ordinances. The Band transitioned from MLC to the current statutes in the early 2000's. Then in the early 2020's the Band transitioned to using Acts, which better represents the passing of laws for a three branch government.