Arizona 2023 Regular Session

Arizona House Bill HCR2046 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	REFERENCE TITLE: Peterson Zah; death resolution State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-sixth Legislature First Regular Session 2023 HCR 2046 Introduced by Representatives Peshlakai: Austin, Blattman, Bravo, Contreras L, Contreras P, Hernandez A, Hernandez L, Longdon, Pawlik, Quionez, Schwiebert, Seaman, Shah, Travers A Concurrent Resolution on the death of navajo nation president peterson zah. (TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
2	2
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7
8	8
9	9	REFERENCE TITLE: Peterson Zah; death resolution
10	10	State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-sixth Legislature First Regular Session 2023
11	11	HCR 2046
12	12	Introduced by Representatives Peshlakai: Austin, Blattman, Bravo, Contreras L, Contreras P, Hernandez A, Hernandez L, Longdon, Pawlik, Quionez, Schwiebert, Seaman, Shah, Travers
13	13
14	14	REFERENCE TITLE: Peterson Zah; death resolution
15	15
16	16
17	17
18	18
19	19
20	20
21	21
22	22
23	23
24	24	State of Arizona
25	25
26	26	House of Representatives
27	27
28	28	Fifty-sixth Legislature
29	29
30	30	First Regular Session
31	31
32	32	2023
33	33
34	34
35	35
36	36
37	37
38	38
39	39
40	40	HCR 2046
41	41
42	42
43	43
44	44	Introduced by
45	45
46	46	Representatives Peshlakai: Austin, Blattman, Bravo, Contreras L, Contreras P, Hernandez A, Hernandez L, Longdon, Pawlik, Quionez, Schwiebert, Seaman, Shah, Travers
47	47
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51
52	52	A Concurrent Resolution
53	53
54	54
55	55
56	56	on the death of navajo nation president peterson zah.
57	57
58	58
59	59
60	60
61	61
62	62	(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
63	63
64	64	Peterson Zah, long-time counselor and leader of the Navajo Nation, died on March 7, 2023 at the age of 85. Born on December 7, 1937 in Low Mountain on the Navajo Reservation, Peterson Zah graduated from the Phoenix Indian School before attending community college and then Arizona State University on a basketball scholarship. After graduating with a degree in education, he taught carpentry and other vocational skills on the Navajo Reservation. He went on to serve as the Native American liaison to Arizona State University's president for 15 years, working diligently to boost the number of Native students and graduates. Additionally, Peterson Zah successfully encouraged colleges and universities to accept Native American students at in-state tuition rates, regardless of whether they graduated high school in the Arizona, New Mexico or Utah portion of the Navajo reservation. From 1967-1982, Peterson Zah cofounded and served as Executive Director of Dinbe'in Nhiitna Be Agha'diit'ahi (DNA), or "Lawyers Who Contribute to the Economic Revitalization of the People." As the executive director of the DNA People's Legal Service, he oversaw several of the nonprofit organization's legal cases that were eventually heard by the United States Supreme Court. Peterson Zah served as the last Chairman of the Navajo Nation from 1982 to 1987 as well as its first President from 1990 to 1994, after the Nation's government was restructured into three branches of government. Kind, low-key, charismatic and humble, President Zah worked tirelessly to better the lives of the Navajo people throughout his lifetime. Among his many accomplishments, he helped establish the Permanent Fund in 1985, which continues to receive tribal payments from coal, pipeline, oil and gas leases on reservation lands. He worked with Hopi tribal leadership in a respectful, direct manner to mend the two tribes' dispute over land boundaries. President Zah lobbied the federal government to ensure that Native Americans could use peyote as a religious sacrament, and he ensured that the interests of Native Americans were reflected in federal environmental legislation such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. Even after his presidential tenure ended, Peterson Zah consulted with later Navajo leaders to guide them on issues ranging from housing, families, veterans and education. He never ceased encouraging Native American youth to pursue their education and counseled many to seek advanced degrees. Peterson Zah maintained a continual sense of beauty in life and worked diligently to improve the world around him for future generations. Courageous, passionate, loyal and honest, Peterson Zah earned the respect and admiration of all who had the privilege of knowing and working with him over the years. He will be greatly missed by the Navajo people, the citizens of Arizona, his many friends, his loving wife, Rosalind, and his children and grandchildren. Therefore Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring: That the Members of the Legislature express their regret at the passing of President Peterson Zah and extend their deepest condolences to the Navajo people and his surviving family members.
65	65
66	66	Peterson Zah, long-time counselor and leader of the Navajo Nation, died on March 7, 2023 at the age of 85.
67	67
68	68	Born on December 7, 1937 in Low Mountain on the Navajo Reservation, Peterson Zah graduated from the Phoenix Indian School before attending community college and then Arizona State University on a basketball scholarship. After graduating with a degree in education, he taught carpentry and other vocational skills on the Navajo Reservation. He went on to serve as the Native American liaison to Arizona State University's president for 15 years, working diligently to boost the number of Native students and graduates. Additionally, Peterson Zah successfully encouraged colleges and universities to accept Native American students at in-state tuition rates, regardless of whether they graduated high school in the Arizona, New Mexico or Utah portion of the Navajo reservation.
69	69
70	70	From 1967-1982, Peterson Zah cofounded and served as Executive Director of Dinbe'in Nhiitna Be Agha'diit'ahi (DNA), or "Lawyers Who Contribute to the Economic Revitalization of the People." As the executive director of the DNA People's Legal Service, he oversaw several of the nonprofit organization's legal cases that were eventually heard by the United States Supreme Court.
71	71
72	72	Peterson Zah served as the last Chairman of the Navajo Nation from 1982 to 1987 as well as its first President from 1990 to 1994, after the Nation's government was restructured into three branches of government. Kind, low-key, charismatic and humble, President Zah worked tirelessly to better the lives of the Navajo people throughout his lifetime. Among his many accomplishments, he helped establish the Permanent Fund in 1985, which continues to receive tribal payments from coal, pipeline, oil and gas leases on reservation lands. He worked with Hopi tribal leadership in a respectful, direct manner to mend the two tribes' dispute over land boundaries. President Zah lobbied the federal government to ensure that Native Americans could use peyote as a religious sacrament, and he ensured that the interests of Native Americans were reflected in federal environmental legislation such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.
73	73
74	74	Even after his presidential tenure ended, Peterson Zah consulted with later Navajo leaders to guide them on issues ranging from housing, families, veterans and education. He never ceased encouraging Native American youth to pursue their education and counseled many to seek advanced degrees. Peterson Zah maintained a continual sense of beauty in life and worked diligently to improve the world around him for future generations.
75	75
76	76	Courageous, passionate, loyal and honest, Peterson Zah earned the respect and admiration of all who had the privilege of knowing and working with him over the years. He will be greatly missed by the Navajo people, the citizens of Arizona, his many friends, his loving wife, Rosalind, and his children and grandchildren.
77	77
78	78	Therefore
79	79
80	80	Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring:
81	81
82	82	That the Members of the Legislature express their regret at the passing of President Peterson Zah and extend their deepest condolences to the Navajo people and his surviving family members.