In accordance with Article III of the Tribe's Constitution, Indians who are at least one-quarter degree blood quantum Indian may, upon written application for adoption into the band, become members by a majority vote of the membership at its annual meeting.
A. 
Persons who do not meet the criteria for enrollment prescribed in § 2.1-8 of this chapter may seek membership by adoption, provided such persons meet the following minimum criteria:
(1) 
Must either:
(a) 
Be 18 years of age or older at time he or she applies for membership; or
(b) 
Be a minor child who has been legally adopted by a member of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi;
(2) 
Is not a member of any other Indian tribe of the United States or Canada whether federally recognized or not; and
(3) 
Is North American Indian who is at least one-quarter degree Indian blood quantum.
B. 
Any person seeking enrollment in the Tribe by adoption must submit an application for adoption on a form approved by the Tribal Council. Any application for adoption under this article must be signed by an enrolled member of the Tribe who is at least 18 years of age and shall include the following information:
(1) 
The enrolled member's relationship to the individual proposed for adoption;
(2) 
The justification supporting the individual's adoption as a member of the Tribe, including a description (including the number of years of such participation) of the individual's participation in social, community and cultural events within the tribal community.
C. 
The form of the application and information required of any applicant for adoption shall be consistent with that required under §§ 2.1-9 through 2.1-12 of this chapter to permit the Enrollment Office to verify, consistent with the burden of proof described in § 2.1-10, that the applicant is not less than one-quarter degree Indian blood as verified by one of the following:
(1) 
The Enrollment Office of another federally recognized Indian tribe;
(2) 
The Bureau of Indian Affairs;
(3) 
The Enrollment Department of any Canadian First Nation; or
(4) 
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Department.
A. 
Applications for adoption into the Tribe shall be processed in a manner consistent with the procedure described in §§ 2.1-11 through 2.1-14 of this chapter.
B. 
Any person verified by the Enrollment Committee as possessing the requisite one-quarter degree North American Indian blood shall be referred to the Tribal Council for approval.
C. 
Following the Enrollment Committee's review and recommendation, the Enrollment Office will prepare a draft resolution including the name(s) of each person recommended for adoption and deliver the proposed resolution to the Tribal Council Secretary. The resolution will be accompanied by a memorandum from the Enrollment Committee confirming that it has determined that each person recommended for adoption meets the one-quarter degree North American Indian blood criteria, and shall include the statement of the enrolled member sponsoring the individual's adoption into the Tribe described in § 2.1-38B.
D. 
Upon receipt of the draft resolution and memorandum recommending the final approval of one or more person's enrollment, the Tribal Council will place that request on the agenda of the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Tribal Council.
E. 
At its meeting, the Tribal Council shall vote to take one of the following actions:
(1) 
Authorize referral of some or all of the applicants for adoption to a vote of the membership at the next regularly scheduled membership meeting, subject to the restriction contained in Subsection G; or
(2) 
Reject some or all of the applicants presented. The Tribal Council may not refuse to refer any applicant for adoption to a vote of the membership unless the Tribal Council makes specific factual findings determining that an applicant does not meet the one-quarter degree North American Indian blood criteria.
F. 
If the Tribal Council approves any applicant(s) for adoption, the Tribal Council Chairperson shall be responsible for submitting the name(s) of any individual approved for submission to a vote of the membership in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the Election Board for regular or special elections. The Tribal Council Chairperson shall ensure that notice of the proposed vote of the General Membership regarding the adoption of the person(s) presented is provided to the membership not less than thirty (30) days prior to the date of the General Membership meeting.
G. 
If the Tribal Council decision (described in Subsection E of this section) is made less than sixty (60) days before the date of the General Membership meeting, the vote on such individual's application for adoption shall be deferred to the next General Membership meeting.
H. 
Any person approved for membership by adoption shall, prior to being assigned a tribal identification number and being placed on the membership roll, shall be required to submit proof that his/her enrollment with any other federally recognized Indian Tribe has been relinquished.
I. 
The Enrollment Office shall maintain documentation verifying the vote of the membership regarding each person's adoption into the Tribe in such person's enrollment file.
J. 
Any person enrolled through the adoption process shall be subject to disenrollment in accordance with the procedures described in Article VII of this chapter if it is determined that such person is enrolled with another federally recognized Indian tribe. Any person adopted into the Tribe under this process may also relinquish his/her membership as provided in Article VIII of this chapter.