SALEM — The Oregon Senate on Friday, June 23, unanimously passed House Bill 3173 to create a 15-member Task Force on Tribal Consultation.

There are nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon: The Burns Paiute Tribe; the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw; the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation; the Coquille Indian Tribe; the Klamath Tribes; the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians; the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation; the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde; and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz.

Under HB 3173, the task force is responsible for identifying and clarifying the requirements of state agencies to maintain a just, respectful consultation process with the tribes in Oregon and to hold them accountable for cooperating with the tribes. The task force will include one member of each of the nine federally recognized tribes in the state.

Reps. Tawna Sanchez, D-Portland, and Annessa Hartman, D-Gladstone, co-sponsored the bill, and Sen. Kathleen Taylor, D-Portland, carried the bill on the Senate floor.

“This task force will be essential to building trust and maintaining government-to-government relations between our state and the nine sovereign tribes in Oregon,” Taylor said in a press release. “Tribal governments have an unparalleled understanding of our state and their input is vital to ensuring our state agencies are acting in the best interest of Oregon.

Sanchez said the state’s commitment to “a just and respectful consultation process” with the nine tribes requires a deep understanding of the government-to-government relationship with the tribes, the legal history, perspectives of the tribes and their relationships with state agencies. The task force, then, she said, will identify processes that work well and clarify for agencies and tribes “a more coherent path forward.”

“Cultural competency is critical to help government officials understand the unique communication styles, symbols and nonverbal cues of tribal communities,” Hartman said. “By adapting communication strategies to accommodate cultural differences, we can minimize misunderstandings, build meaningful relationships and ensure our decision-making processes honor tribal sovereignty and promote positive outcomes for all stakeholders.”

HB 3173 now moves to the governor’s desk s for consideration.