New legislation would allow Native Americans in Maine to benefit from federal laws despite terms of a land claims settlement, providing help to Wabanaki tribes while stopping short of full sovereignty that they've long sought.

Tribes in the state are governed by the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 that stipulates they’re bound by state law, treating reservations much like municipalities, an

A new bipartisan proposal that was introduced by Maine's Democratic House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross would allow Native Americans in Maine to benefit from federal law.