August 15, 1997
SMOKE SIGNALS
5
Tribe sees effective State Legislative session in 1 997
By Justin Martin
77ns article shows how the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde had success within the 1997
State Legislative Assembly. It focuses on nega
tive legislation, and a quality lobbying effort
through the guidance of the Tribal Council.
The 1 997 Legislative Session was a very successful one for
the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
Several positive steps were taken in order to create a more
i " ' t liif
" I
functional government to government relationship with the
State of Oregon. Among these steps were the creation of a
legislative team, the education of the Legislative Assembly
with regards to Indian issues and sovereignty, and a suc
cessful defense of the right to strive for self-sufficiency.
With the onset of Indian gaming in Oregon, the increase
in anti-gambling legislation has been immense. There were
thirty-nine separate measures that were related to gambling.
Nineteen of these measures were negative legislation that
was potentially very dangerous to the Tribe. To counter
this danger the Tribe made, a successful move in the cre
i ation of the legislative team. This
team consists of lobbyists Dave
Barrows, and Justin Martin, and
the Legislative Committee, that
was made up of Tribal Council
members. The members on this
committee were: Tribal Chair
Kathryn Harrison, Eugene
Labonte, Margaret Provost, Leon
"Chip" Tom, Ed Pearsall, and Ed
Larscn.
Several other tribal members
and department managers also
played a key role in the effective
ness of the legislative effort.
n
J
Grand Ronde Employees at Tribal Information Day at the State Capitol.
The benefits of
creating a legisla
tive team were; in
creased awareness
of problems, better
communication in
an intergovernmen
tal relationship, and
an established pres
ence in the State's
political environ
ment. Also extremely
helpful to the legis
lative effort was
constant help from
the Commission on Governor Kitzhaber
Indian Services, which is located within the Capitol Build
ing in Salem. Karen Quigley offered informative back
ground information with respect to certain issues. Gladine
Ritter also was a great help in organizing and contacting
key members of tribes. The Commission also did a won
derful job in bringing the tribes of Oregon together on key
issues, and helped to create a dialogue in which the pres
ence and importance of Indian issues could be discussed.
continued on page 7
fM U hi
if '7 ffi':
1997 Legislation that carried possible impacts upon Tribe
By Justin Martin
77is article looks specifically at the four major
pieces of legislation that The Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde were interested in dur
ing the 1997 Legislative Assembly in Oregon.
There were several pieces of legislation in the 1997 Leg
islative Assembly that could have impacted the Tribe.
Among these there were both positive and negative aspects
to distinct legislation. The Tribe focused on three catego
ries to look at measures that arose during the session. These
three categories were: Gaming, Natural Resources, and
various issues with tribal impact.
There were four major items that were vital to the Tribe
during the 1 997 Legislative Assembly. One was a positive
piece of legislation, House Bill 2 1 95. It eventually became
House Bill 3009. The rest of the major legislation was nega
tive and therefore the Tribe and the legislative team were
forced to be very defensive. The negative measures were
Senate Bill 881, Senate Bill 708, and Senate Joint Resolu
tion 28. The effort that the Tribe made in regards to this
legislation was through a great deal of lobbying, offering
testimony before committees, letter writing, personal ap
pearances by Tribal Council, and finally using support from
various other tribes within the state.
Here is a brief summary of some of the Major Legisla
tion from the 1997 Legislative Assembly:
SUMMARY: States' public policy on gambling. Al
lows Department of State Police to investigate background
of gambling licensees. Adds felony gambling offenses to
list of crimes for which wiretaps, pen registers and trap and
'trace devices may be authorized. Changes criminal laws
related to gambling. Defines and prohibits unlawful gam
bling. Creates offense of cheating. Punishes by five years
in prison, $ 1 00,000 fine, or both. Repeals criminal statutes
'related to charitable bingo, lotto and raffles. Modifies laws
related to social games in public places. Establishes state
wide licensing standards for social games. Allows Monte
Carlo events by charitable organizations. Directs Depart
ment of Justice to regulate Monte Carlo events. Establishes
limits on annual handle, wagers, number and duration of
Monte Carlo events. Allows Department of Justice to li
cense suppliers of gambling equipment and supplies for
regulated gambling by charitable organizations.
The original HB 2195 was the centerpiece of the legisla
tion proposed by the Governor's Task Force on Gaming. It
is a necessary bill to help deter illegal gambling and to ef
fectively punish cheating, bookmaking, and other possible
gambling crimes. This bill would for the first time make it
a crime to cheat while gambling. This offense would be a
Class C Felony. The bill also confirms that chips and to
kens are valued at their gaming face value to determine the
amount of theft and the extent of the cheating. Equally
important in this bill is the handling of "social" games, which
were totally unregulated. Under HB 2195, counties must
regulate blackjack and other social games and owners of
gaming establishments must undergo a background inves
tigation. While not as strict as StateTribal Compact re
quirements, this is a start toward holding gambling estab
lishment owners to the high standards in place for Indian
gaming managers.
This bill became HB 3009, and passed both the House
and the Senate, and is currently waiting for the Governor's
signature to become law. It is also a possibility that this bill
will be vetoed by the Governor because of some new lan
guage that was added to the bill after it came out of the
Task Force.
SB881
SUMMARY: Requires Governor to consult with Legis
lative Assembly before and during negotiations with In
dian tribes for compacts or amendments to compacts. Re
quires Governor to submit proposed compacts to Legisla
tive Assembly or legislative officer for review.
This piece of legislation was a direct attack upon State
Tribal relations. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
has worked hard to be the leaders in StateTribal relations.
This bill was considered a "slap in the face" to tribal sover
eignty. Not to mention the four years of negotiations that
the Tribe went through with the State of Oregon. The bill
did not get out of the Trade and Economic Development
Committee.
SBJ708
SUMMARY: Requires Legislative Assembly ratifica
tion for some intergovernmental agreements.
Senate Bill 708 was a bill that despite its many sponsors,
never went anywhere. It is worth mentioning, and placing
it within a major legislation category for two reasons: The
first being the direct target of Indian tribes and their sover
eignty, and secondly the similarities to Senate Bill 881, in
the aspect of negative feeling toward the Governor, and
more power to the Legislative Assembly. The bill was sent
to the Rules and Elections Committee where it had only
one public hearing.
SJJL28
SUMMARY: Amends Oregon Constitution to prohibit
Oregon State Lottery from operation of video lottery games,
including video poker, and on-line games, not including pari
mutucl games. Refers resolution to people at special elec
tion held on same date as next biennial primary election,
Senate Joint Resolution 28 began as an all out ban of
video lottery games. It went through several changes, and
never posed a very serious threat. Until later in the session
when it became a severe threat not only to the Tribe, but
the Oregon State Lottery, and the Oregon Restaurant Asso
ciation as well. It was a measure that had a real possibility
of moving despite so many interest groups that were against
it. It was also the closest that the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde came to being seriously hurt by during the
1997 Legislative Session.