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House panel hears bill to require annual tribal sovereignty and consultation training for legislators and staff
Summary
House Bill 35 29 would require the Legislative Commission on Indian Services to offer quarterly training on tribal sovereignty, tribal relations, tribal consultation and tribal customs, and would require each member of the Legislative Assembly and legislative branch employees to attend training at least once per year. Sponsors said the measure
Representative Anessa Harmon introduced House Bill 35 29 at the March 19 House Committee on Rules hearing, asking the committee to require annual training on tribal sovereignty, consultation and tribal customs for legislators and legislative branch staff.
Harmon, who identified as Haudenosaunee, said the training is intended to make consultation with Oregon's nine federally recognized tribes a routine step in drafting and reviewing policy, not an afterthought. "My dream is that everyone in their crafting of policy will think, how will this impact the tribes?" Harmon said, adding that many issues brought to tribes for input have been resolved more quickly when tribes were included early in the process.
Patrick Flanagan, executive director of the Legislative Commission on Indian Services (LCIS), told the committee that the bill would restate and extend training obligations already reflected in ORS 182.166, which requires annual training for state employees and envisions DAS and LCIS involvement. Flanagan said ORS 182.166's definition of "state agency" is broad and encompasses legislative, executive and judicial branches, and he described existing LCIS materials, a recent video series and prior briefings as a foundation for quarterly training sessions focused on the legislature.
Flanagan and Harmon said the training could be offered from existing LCIS materials and coordinated with ongoing work by a tribal consultation working group; sponsors indicated the bill need not create a major new cost because training materials already exist and LCIS has been asked previously to provide legislative briefings on sovereignty and consultation.
Committee members did not take a vote. The committee closed the public hearing on HB 35 29 and adjourned the meeting.
Ending: The committee adjourned after closing the hearing; sponsors said they would submit written materials and pursue collaboration with LCIS and tribes to refine training content and scheduling.
