 - The Wyoming Legislature’s Select Committee on Tribal Relations is weighing whether to explore the development of a formal “state-tribal policy” for Wyoming this year.){kind=link}
(Cheyenne, WY) – The Wyoming Legislature’s Select Committee on Tribal Relations is weighing whether to explore the development of a formal “state-tribal policy” for Wyoming this year.
The proposal came from Wyoming Rep. Ivan Posey, D-Fort Washakie, who said he first discussed developing a state tribal policy decades ago, when he worked for Gov. Dave Freudenthal.
The framework would outline “really specific protocols” the state and tribes would follow when working together on the “vast landscape (of) common issues” that affect all three governments, Posey said during the Tribal Relations Committee’s interim topics meeting March 3.
“I think it’ll be something that could be beneficial,” Posey said.
As an example of an existing state-tribal policy, Posey pointed specifically to the Centennial Accord that guides relations between tribal governments and the State of Washington – a document that Select Committee Member and Wyoming Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, said he would like the committee to learn more about.
“I think this is worthy of having at least an overview (of) what that Washington framework is,” Barlow said during this month’s meeting, adding that, based on his limited understanding of the Washington Accord, “it’s not actually about the inner workings of a certain policy – it’s more the framework of how you have the conversations.”
“It’s making sure the right players are at the table when there is an interest in pursuing something,” Barlow said. “It’s about making sure the right people are in place to have the conversations and have the authority to have those conversations. … So I would be very interested in at least exploring it and maybe even bringing someone in from Washington to kind of outline how that works for them.”
Other topics
The committee reviewed more than a dozen other topics they could take up during the interim this month, including jurisdictional issues in law enforcement, water rights, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, education, Department of Family Services issues, land issues, solid waste issues, gaming, the Indian Education for All Act, minors obtaining alcohol, taxation issues, healthcare issues, utilities, and buffalo as wildlife.
Wyoming Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, noted that the committee also tends to “leave lots of room” in its schedule for updates from tribal government representatives and tribal members.
“(If we) leave it a little bit open-ended, I think that works the best,” he said, explaining that the purpose of the Tribal Relations Committee “is more about relationships and relationship-building.”
“That could be like one of our No. 1 goals,” Case said.
Wyoming’s legislative committees are scheduled to present their interim topic proposals to the legislative Management Council for approval on April 1.