H-3686.1  _______________________________________________

                 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 4429

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      53rd Legislature     1994 Regular Session

By Representatives King, Anderson, Fuhrman, Orr, Jacobsen, Rayburn, Lisk, Veloria, Schmidt, Heavey, Ballard, Wineberry, Sheldon, Leonard, Pruitt, Jones and J. Kohl

Read first time 01/24/94.  Referred to Committee on State Government.

Establishing a joint select committee on Indian Affairs.

    WHEREAS, The territory that is now the state of Washington was occupied from time immemorial by many native peoples who carried out their customs, governance, and intertribal relations for the benefit of their communities; and

    WHEREAS, The federal government entered into treaties with most of the native communities, tribes, and bands between 1853 and 1856.  Those treaties recognized the rights of these communities, and established the reservations in existence today; and

    WHEREAS, The treaties paved the way for the Washington territory to become the state of Washington; and

    WHEREAS, The state of Washington has twenty-six federally recognized tribes located within its boundaries; and

    WHEREAS, Policies concerning the relationship between the state and the federally recognized tribes have been set forth in the United States and Washington Constitutions, the Organic Act of 1853, and the Enabling Act of 1889; and

    WHEREAS, Under Governor Gardner, the tribes and the state entered into a new era of cooperation, accomplished with the signing of the Centennial Accord in 1989, for the purpose of coordinating on a wide range of issues; and

    WHEREAS, The Centennial Accord did not include the Washington Legislature; and

    WHEREAS, The Legislature desires to understand tribal government and to develop a mutually respectful working relationship with the federally recognized tribes;

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives of the state of Washington, the Senate concurring, That a joint select committee on Indian Affairs be established to study the relationship between the state and the tribes, to mutually educate legislators and tribal governments on the workings of their respective governments, to examine ways of improving the working relationship between the Legislature and the tribes, to examine the potential role of the Legislature in oversight of the Centennial Accord, and to make policy recommendations accordingly; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the committee consist of ten members, five members each selected by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, with three of each house selected from the majority party; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the committee report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature at the regular session held in 1996.

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