Not all plans are final, but these are

     The 2022 Annual Meeting of the General Council is scheduled for July 30 at Warner Park in Madison, Wisc.  The quorum is estimated at 1,237.  Warner Park is located at 2930 N. Sherman Avenue.

     The Annual Meeting of the General Council is the largest and most significant event of the Ho-Chunk Nation.  Each year the tribal membership convenes to set policy for the Ho-Chunk Nation.  Twenty percent of the eligible voters constitute a quorum.

     The elders will have options available to them at the venue.  Elders can be dropped off at the back entrance and will have their own registration lines.  Wheelchairs will be available near the Elder Registration area.  Seating for elders is in the Duck Blind Club and the second level has a climate-controlled suite with limited seating.

     The venue permits families to bring pop-up canopies and their lawn chairs if sitting on the ball field.  Children are allowed and must be supervised at all times.  No children in the Elder Seating area.

     Drinks and snacks will be offered throughout the day.  Breakfast is served from 8:00 am to 10:00 am and consists of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, mixed fruit, and orange juice.  Lunch is at noon and consists of roasted pork loin, roasted rosemary and garlic red potatoes, and roasted Mediterranean veggie mix.  A to-go meal box is scheduled for 4:30 pm and consists of ham, brie, apple butter, arugula ciabatta sandwich, and kettle chips.

     The Department of Administration, Information Technology (IT) Division is scheduled to complete registration and assist with technical support. 

     Registration opens at 8:00 am.  Participants must have a valid tribal ID or enrollment verification to register.

     The Enrollment Department plans to be on-site to offer Tribal IDs until a quorum is met.  Enrollment verifications will be provided to tribal members after a quorum is met.  However, only voting-age tribal IDs will be processed at the event.  The cost is $20 (cash, money order, or money gram), and you must provide one of the following: state driver’s license, state ID, passport, expired tribal ID, or certified birth certificate.  Contact enrollmentinfo@ho-chunk.com to set up a tribal ID appointment in the weeks before the Annual Meeting of the General Council date.

     The Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Health will not be on-site testing at the Annual Meeting of the General Council.  The Health Department offers home test kits.  Those home kits are available at branch offices and satellite Health Offices to test before attending the meeting.

     The bus schedule is as follows:

·       Two buses leaving out of the Saint Paul Branch Office at 6:00 am. Making stops at Oakwood Mall in Eau Claire at approximately 7:45 am and Ho-Chunk Gaming Black River Falls at approximately 8:50 am.

·       One bus leaving from Valley View Mall in La Crosse at 7:00 am. Making stops at Ho-Chunk Gaming – Tomah at approximately 7:50 am and Ho-Chunk Gaming – Wisconsin Dells at approximately 8:50 am.

·       One bus leaving Wittenberg from Ho-Chunk Gaming – Wittenberg at 6:00 am. Making a stop at Ho-Chunk Gaming – Nekoosa at approximately 7:30 am.

·       One bus leaving from Chicago Union Station at 6:00 am.  Making a stop at Milwaukee Intermodal Station at approximately 7:50 am.

·       One bus leaving from the Green Bay Branch Office at 7:00 am.  Making stops in Appleton at Park & Ride 44-01, Randolph Drive, at approximately 6:25 am, and in Oshkosh at Park & Ride 70-04, Green Valley Road, at approximately 7:10 am. 

·       One bus leaving from Ho-Chunk Gaming – Wisconsin Dells at 7:00 am.  No stops with arrival at Warner Park at approximately 8:00 am.

     All buses will be Elder Preference.  Sign up with your local branch office to ride the bus.  The branch office contact information is located on the 2022 General Council Bus Schedule flyer. 

     The General Council Deputy Advocate Henry White Thunder submitted a budget update.  That budget shows $79,500 for voting machines, $103, 916 for audio/visual, $17, 468.78 for buses, $1,000 for drum, $4,200 for security, three cartons of cigarettes, water, and pending hotel room charges for eight color guards and sixteen IT personnel.

     In the budget update, White Thunder noted that payout was not in the approved budget and that payout would have to be done by the Legislators and their branch of government.

     A June 29 social media post from the Ho-Chunk Nation Legislative Branch stated, “The Legislature has funding set aside and would authorize the payout for tribal members attending General Council from the general fund.  The Legislature is prepared to make the authorization once the Office of General Council provides logistical details for the security and disbursement of the payouts.  This does not need to be requested by the Office of General Council, though we have always worked together on previous successful GC meetings.  We anticipate that there will be a payout at the 2022 Annual General Council in Madison.

     “The Legislature received a request for contract approval for the Annual General Council by the Executive Branch, and we have not received any delegation of authority by the General Council to the Executive Branch.  The Legislature has repeatedly requested the General Council Advocate/Deputy Advocate attend a Legislative meeting for more information on both the payouts and the contracts, but they continue to refuse.

     “We stand ready to assist Deputy Advocate Henry White Thunder so the Nation can meet for a peaceful, successful General Council.”

     Email proposed General Council Resolutions to GCB@ho-chunk.com as soon as possible.  Likewise, those resolutions submitted for a previous General Council should be resubmitted as soon as possible.

     Contact General Council Deputy Advocate Henry White Thunder with questions or concerns at GCB@ho-chunk.com.

     Plans are still fluid, and not all finalized plans have been announced when the Hocak Worak Issue 14 goes to print.  Watch the social media pages of the Hocak Worak, Ho-Chunk Nation, and The Ho-Chunk Nation Legislative Branch for those updates.