To amend the Grand Ronde Reservation Act to address the hunting, fishing, trapping, and animal gathering rights of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community, and for other purposes.
To amend the Grand Ronde Reservation Act to address the hunting, fishing, trapping, and animal gathering rights of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community, and for other purposes.
Plain Language Summary
# HR 1499 Summary: Grand Ronde Tribe Hunting and Fishing Rights **What the bill does:** HR 1499 would change how hunting, fishing, trapping, and animal gathering rights are determined for the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community in Oregon. Currently, a 1987 court order locks in these rights and makes them difficult to change.
This bill would allow the tribe and the state of Oregon to negotiate and update their hunting and fishing agreement, and would let them ask the court to modify or end the 1987 order if both parties agree to new terms. **Who it affects:** The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community and the state of Oregon would be the primary parties involved in negotiations. The changes could indirectly affect hunters, fishers, and trappers in Oregon who operate under state regulations, as well as tribal members exercising their treaty rights. **Current status:** The bill was introduced by Representative Andrea Salinas (D-OR-6) in the 119th Congress and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full House of Representatives.
CRS Official Summary
This bill provides a process by which the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and Oregon may negotiate to amend or replace the existing agreement defining the tribe's hunting, fishing, trapping, and animal gathering rights. The current agreement, which was made effective by a January 12, 1987, consent decree by the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, serves as the exclusive and final determination of the tribe's hunting, fishing, trapping, and gathering rights. This bill instead allows a December 2, 1986, agreement between the United States, Oregon, and the tribe (known as the Grand Ronde Hunting and Fishing Agreement) to define the tribe's rights until and unless it is amended or replaced upon mutual agreement of the tribe and Oregon. The bill allows the tribe and Oregon to return to the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon to request the modification or termination of the January 12, 1987, consent decree. The bill prohibits a new or amended agreement from (1) affecting the other rights of the tribe or any other Indian tribe, (2) limiting Oregon from entering into separate agreements with other tribes to address the authority to take species within the geographic scope of the agreement, or (3) being used in a civil or criminal action to modify any treaty or other right of a tribe.
Latest Action
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.