Committee hears support for codifying governor's Office of Indian Affairs

Committee staff said substitute Senate Bill 60 34 would codify the governor's Office of Indian Affairs and establish it as a cabinet-level agency with an executive director appointed by the governor. The staff report described duties including advising the governor, convening annual meetings with tribal leaders, assisting state agencies on tribal relations, and submitting an annual operations report.

Tim Raynaugh, executive director of the governor's Office of Indian Affairs, testified the bill is a technical fix to correct the absence of an enabling statute and would ensure sustained government‑to‑government infrastructure. Mercedes Whitecalf, a tribal liaison with Southwest Washington accountable communities for health and a member of the Ocala Sioux tribe, told the committee codification provides continuity across administrations and strengthens tribal engagement on health and other services.

Supporters framed the bill as stabilizing rather than expanding government authority and urged the committee to advance it to the floor. There were no recorded oppositional witnesses during the public testimony taken on the bill at this hearing.