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Cuomo Vetoes Montaukett Indian Recognition Bill

Frank Franklin II
/
AP
N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo vetoed a bill that would have given state recognition to a tribe on Long Island’s East End. The Montaukett Indian Nation had been declared “extinct” by a state Supreme Court judge more than 100 years ago.

Cuomo says the tribe’s use of legislation to gain recognition bypasses the state’s process for receiving and reviewing relevant documents.

One of the bill’s sponsors, Assemblyman Fed Thiele of Sag Harbor, says he and Montaukett leadership see the governor’s decision as just a temporary setback.

“Their recognition should have never been taken away, and it’s obvious that it should be reinstated. But the governor is committed to this process, and we’re going to work through it with him.”

Lack of state recognition bars the Montauketts from access to certain benefits, but Thiel says recognition is truly about restoring the tribe’s identity. This is the third time the bill has been rejected.