The Comanche Business Committee met on December 5, 2009. The usual enrollment items were on the agenda, two ineligible lists and one eligible list of names.

Mr. Bill Voelker, Executive Director of the SIA Program, gave a presentation regarding a project he has been working on with the National Fish and Wildlife Service. The project is a national repository for "Essential Species" feathers. SIA has developed a list of these birds whose feathers are essential to Native American religious practices. Through his efforts, Mr. Voelker has succeeded in getting SIA designated as the repository for the acquisition and distribution of such feathers. This has a big impact on the ability of Native Americans across the country to legally hold and use waterbird and other feathers in their religious ceremonies. VIEW CLIP

An auditor was selected to conduct the Comanche Nation Government audit for FY 2009. Joseph Eve has conducted the audit for the past 3 years. 2009 will be the last time the Nation can use this firm as auditor. IRS rules require that one firm may conduct no more than 4 audits for an organization.

A resolution authorizing NAGPRA to apply for a grant for repatriation puposed was passed.

Resolution 185-09 was passed, placing the Chairman back on the Executive Committee with the authority to sign payment requests. The resolution called for different numbers of signatures depending on the dollar amount to the request. VIEW CLIP

Mr. Tommy Johnson was sworn in as a Commissioner for the Housing Board.

Resolution 186-09 authorized quarterly drawdowns for the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center.

Due to budget constraints, the amounts of direct disbursements of bereavement payments were adjusted down at the meeting. Payments to family members living in the service area were reduced to $100, to those living outside the service area but still in Oklahoma were reduced to $200. The payment for family members out of the state was reduced to $400. The resolution included a clause that the family member must be present at the service to receive the payment.

The annual Native American Church donation was discussed at the meeting. All churches which received payment last year are invited to a prayer breakfast scheduled for December 17 at 8 am in the Gymnasium. Each of 23 churches will receive a share of the $60,000 at this meeting.

Mr. Willie Nelson, Tribal Administrator, wishes everyone Merry Christmas. VIEW CLIP

Comanche Nation Housing announced their new Executive Director. Tom Yellow Wolf is a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation of the Fort Berthold Reservation, New Town, North Dakota who has been in Indian Housing for over 18 years. He has served as the Executive Director of three different housing authorities, worked as a Training and Technical Assistance Specialist for the National American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC), and worked as a consultant to numerous Indian tribes and housing authorities across the United States. Mr. Yellow Wolf has taught a number of Indian Housing Management courses for NAIHC and conducted on-site technical assistance for tribes that had a need to improve their housing authority operations. He has assisted many of the tribes acquire new homes and improve their existing units by developing home modernization programs. Mr. Yellow Wolf has also worked with the HUD Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program when building new homes for housing authorities and individuals.

Throughout his Indian Housing career Mr. Yellow Wolf was worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Native American Programs in three different regions of the United States and served as an alternate to the National American Indian Housing Council from two different regions. He has been involved with National Indian Housing issues over the past 18 years and is familiar with many of the issues that confront Indian tribes that lack adequate housing for their members.

Mr. Yellow Wolf is a graduate from the University of Mary, Bismarck, North Dakota with a BS Degree in University Studies. He has four children, seven grandchildren, and one great grandson. Mr. Yellow Wolf is a veteran of the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam in 1968. Tom's oldest son is also an Army veteran and the youngest son is in the U.S. Marines who has served in Iraq and currently based at Twenty-Nine Palms, California.