CTUIR keeps close eye on legislatures
By Terry Murry on Friday, April 23rd, 2021 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
MISSION — Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Legislative Affairs Manager Jane Hill says the 2021 legislative sessions in Oregon and Washington have been heartening.
A bill of interest in Salem is House Bill 2052, which would require that schools allow native students to wear regalia or items of cultural significance to special events.
“This frequently comes into play when you have graduation ceremonies,” Hill said.
The bill passed the House of Representatives last month and is now before the Senate Education Committee. Hill said CTUIR was pleased that Sen. Bill Hansell (R-Athena) testified in its favor.
“It’s just a great example of the weight that he places in the importance of solidifying the government-to-government relationship,” Hill said.
The Education Committee will hold a work session on the bill next Wednesday.
Hill is also pleased that Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a bill into law that will benefit the Walla Walla Watershed Management Partnership. That partnership expires at the end of June. The newly-signed measure allows the approximately 150 members of the partnership to bank their water rights with the Washington Department of Ecology for up to two years. That will allow CTUIR, local governments, farmers, developers, irrigators, and environmentalists the time to work on what the next partnership will involve.
