Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute chairmen urge stronger state-tribal consultation, bills to protect children and recognize tribal warrants

Chairmen Melvin J. Baker of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and Emmanuel Hart of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe delivered a joint address to the Colorado General Assembly on the tribes' priorities for the 2025 legislative session, urging stronger government-to-government consultation and support for several specific bills and policy changes.

The speech outlined three legislative priorities the tribes will pursue this year, starting with strengthening Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) protections in Colorado and urging passage of proposed state measures to raise the state standard. The Southern Ute chairman thanked legislators who have agreed to sponsor that legislation and said tribes drafted the bill in collaboration with statewide stakeholders.

"We must never forget the mountains, the rivers, the plateaus across this breathtaking state bear the mark of the Ute people," Baker said, urging lawmakers to preserve tribal sovereignty and to consult early on legislation affecting tribal interests.

Why it matters: Baker and Hart said tribal governments already provide services—healthcare, law enforcement, education and infrastructure—that benefit tribal and non‑tribal residents, and that unclear consultation and jurisdictional gaps leave tribal communities vulnerable on public safety and resource issues. The tribes asked the General Assembly to back bills that would (1) strengthen state ICWA protections, (2) create a general legislative exclusion for tribal activities inside reservation boundaries, and (3) require state courts to give full faith and credit to…