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Committee advances county tribal‑liaison funding proposal to finance committee
Summary
Senate Bill 468, proposing an appropriation for county tribal liaisons administered through DFA, advanced from the Senate Indian Rural Cultural Affairs Committee and will go to the Finance Committee. Sponsors described the proposal as an opt‑in program to help counties connect tribal communities with state services.
The Senate Indian Rural Cultural Affairs Committee advanced Senate Bill 468 on a committee do‑pass recommendation, sending the measure to the Finance Committee for further consideration. The bill would appropriate $33,000,000 from the general fund for fiscal year 2026 to the Local Government Division of the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) to support tribal liaison programs in counties.
Senator Chen Pinto, sponsor of the bill, said the appropriation is intended to allow counties to opt into a program to establish tribal liaison positions that bridge communication between counties and tribal nations and improve access to capital outlay and other state services. “The purpose is to try, fund tribal liaison programs in each county to ensure Native Americans' populations equal access,” Pinto said, noting examples of voluntary county programs such as Sandoval County’s regional liaisons.
Committee members questioned program mechanics, eligibility, and administration. Senators asked whether each state agency already has tribal liaisons and whether DFA was the proper administrator. Pinto said state departments do have some tribal liaisons but that putting funds through DFA would allow counties to access money for positions or regional programs; she said Indian Affairs Department capacity influenced the choice of DFA as administrator. “We didn't want to put it in the Indian Affairs Department because we did not feel that they had the capacity,” Pinto said.
Committee members asked how grants or allocations would be sized and awarded, and whether small counties would receive the same maximum amounts as larger counties. Pinto described the appropriation as an opt‑in pool and said she did not expect each county to receive equal allocations; distribution would depend on county decisions and DFA processes.
The sponsor said the $33 million figure corresponds to 33 counties and would be distributed as counties apply and participate; she said detailed allocation and application procedures would be determined by DFA and in practice would not likely produce equal per‑county disbursements. The committee moved a do‑pass recommendation to Finance; the hearing record shows the motion carried and the bill was referred to the Finance Committee for detailed budget scrutiny.
