A bill 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.
A bill 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
# Summary of S 643: Grand Ronde Reservation Hunting and Fishing Rights **What the bill does:** This bill would allow the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community in Oregon to renegotiate their hunting, fishing, trapping, and animal gathering rights with the state of Oregon. Currently, these rights are locked in by a 1987 court decision that cannot be easily changed.
The bill would instead rely on a 1986 agreement between the tribe, Oregon, and the federal government, which the two parties could update through mutual consent. **Who it affects:** The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community and the state of Oregon would be directly affected. The bill also impacts Oregon residents who hunt and fish, since any new agreement could potentially change how hunting and fishing rights are distributed between tribal and non-tribal populations. **Current status:** The bill was introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in the 119th Congress and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full Senate.
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
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.