DFL lawmakers yield on Bde Maka Ska, leave the name up to the courts

House DFL lawmakers dropped a proposal to officially recognize a south Minneapolis lake by its Dakota name, Bde Maka Ska, as officials scrambled Wednesday to wrap up a state budget agreement.

Democrats wanted to use the two-year state spending plan to wade into an ongoing legal battle over what to call the popular body of water. The issue emerged in late April, after the Minnesota Court of Appeals invalidated a state Department of Natural Resources decision to strip the name of former Vice President John C. Calhoun, a defender of slavery and instrumental figure in the Indian Removal Act. According to the court, authority to take such action rests with the Legislature.

http://www.startribune.com/dfl-lawmakers-yield-on-bde-maka-ska-leave-the-name-up-to-the-courts/510300692/