Yakama Nation Reclaiming Criminal and Civil Authority

The Yakama Nation is looking to reclaim some power. A plan will soon be released to implement a measure to return some criminal and civil authority to the Yakama Nation over it's members. The plan is a result of a meeting between Yakima County officials and the tribe after state lawmakers approved a plan for what's called retro-cession. It was made possible after the federal government passed a law several years ago that allows tribes to reclaim jurisdiction. The tribe must show that it has the resources to take back the authority. The U.S. Department of Interior has the final say.