Committee hears bill to create 17‑member tribal consultation task force

The House Committee on Rules on Feb. 19 held a public hearing on House Bill 2069‑1, which would create a 17‑member task force to identify and clarify state agency requirements for tribal consultation.

Representative Donna Sanchez, House District 43, told the committee the bill is a follow-up to prior work and said the dash‑1 amendment posted on OLIS “increases the appropriation of general fund in the base bill from 50,000 to 70,000.”

Sanchez said the proposal builds on earlier legislation, including House Bill 3173 (2023), which created a 15‑member task force, and referenced Senate Bill 770 as an earlier foundation for how state agencies interact with tribes. She described recurring problems in agency‑tribal communication and said adding two state‑agency representatives and modest additional funding would make consultations “a little more functional” and cover costs for a consultant to help coordinate the work. “We want to try to do this better. We want to try to create a better system,” Sanchez told the committee.

Committee staff read the measure summary aloud at the start of the hearing, noting the task force membership and the amendment increasing the appropriation. Committee members did not record a vote during the hearing; the chair closed the public hearing after Representative Sanchez finished testimony.

No formal action or committee vote on the bill was reported in the hearing transcript. Sponsors and supporters indicated willingness to answer follow‑up questions and to work with committee staff on language and implementation details.

The committee subsequently closed the public hearing on House Bill 2069‑1 and moved to other agenda items.