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2025 Legislative Proposals from the American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee

Sue Stark | Published on 1/25/2025
At our November briefing, Rick Waters of the Denver Indian Center (DIC) highlighted the history and needs of Colorado’s American Indian population. The LWVD Program Committee invited Mr. Waters to speak as part of our considering developing a land acknowledgement statement to honor the indigenous ancestors and current tribal members living here in Colorado. Mr. Waters helped us see that such a statement is not enough but must be accompanied by actions to support and advocate on behalf of Native Americans. One way that LWVD worked with the DIC was to provide several voter registration events at the Center.

As part of continued ally-ship with our indigenous neighbors, we are coordinating with LWV of Colorado’s Legislative Liaison, Andrea Wilkins, to follow legislative initiatives that would benefit this population. The three legislative proposals listed below were from Colorado’s American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee. This Committee was formed toward the end of the Legislature’s 2024 session to make policy suggestions and propose bills the begin to meet the “very long list of things [the indigenous community] needs.” Indigenous activist Monycka Snowbird continued, “ 500 years of colonialism has left a lot of room for improvements in legislation.”

Last year, legislators passed a bill forming the first-ever Office of Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Other Native-specific bills in recent years provide instate tuition for tribal students and prohibition of offensive Native American mascots at schools. But more is needed. During the summer and fall of 2024, the American Indian Affairs Interim Committee developed three legislative proposals:
  • A bill to make their bipartisan committee permanent through the 2029 legislative interim (HB 1057 American Indian Affairs Committee)
  • A bill that will enforce honoring Tribal Court Orders by state courts, law enforcement, hospitals and healthcare providers beyond the reservation’s borders such as court-ordered behavioral health commitments and arrest warrants (SB 009 Recognition of Tribal Court Orders)
  • A bill to reclassify wild bison as protected wildlife to prohibit hunting of these animals

We will follow these bills and look for other ways to improve the lives of Native American Coloradans.

Susan Stark, Director of Program