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<section article="gsg" article_name="State Government" number="9.5-309" title_number="9.5" title_name="Governor's Office of Community Initiatives" subtitle_number="3" subtitle_name="Commission on Indian Affairs">
  <level label="a">
    <text>Subject to the approval of the Governor, the Commission may by regulation establish a process for an Indian community that is indigenous to the State to apply to the Commission for recognition of Maryland Indian status.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>If the Commission finds that a petitioning group meets the requirements for recognition, the Commission may recommend to the Governor that it be granted recognition of Maryland Indian status.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>A member of the Commission may not vote or participate in deliberations on an application for recognition of Maryland Indian status made by the petitioning group to which the member belongs.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Governor may issue an executive order providing recognition of Maryland Indian status to the petitioning group.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The executive order:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>shall be submitted to the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>shall take effect 30 days after it is submitted.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>This section does not:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>create a right of ownership or any other right to land;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>create a benefit or entitlement of any kind;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>impair existing rights, benefits, or entitlements belonging to Indians living in the State;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>impair existing judicial rulings of the State regarding Indians of the State; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>give the Commission the power to establish standards for membership in an Indian community.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The power to establish standards for membership in an Indian community is reserved to the community.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>An act or failure to act by the Commission under this section does not create a private cause of action under State law.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
