Office of Indian affairs

AN ACT Relating to the statutory establishment of the governor's 1
office of Indian affairs; and adding new sections to chapter 43.376 2
RCW. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) There is hereby created as a cabinet 5
agency of the governor, the office of Indian affairs.6
(2) The office of Indian affairs shall have the following 7
responsibilities: 8
(a) Assist the governor in the development and review of 9
effective policies and legislation to support the state of Washington 10
in fostering strong and meaningful relationships with Indian tribes, 11
tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations;12
(b) In accordance with RCW 43.376.020, provide a training focused 13
on fostering effective communication and collaboration between the 14
state and tribes, which the heads of each executive and small cabinet 15
agency, and each of the governor's policy advisors and executive 16
leadership team members, shall attend; 17
(c)(i) In partnership with relevant agencies including the 18
department of enterprise services, the office of financial management 19
state human resources, and agency tribal liaisons, expand upon RCW 20
43.376.020 to produce additional training for state employees.21
S-3536.2
SENATE BILL 6034
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Senators Kauffman, Conway, Hasegawa, Liias, Nobles, Riccelli,
Stanford, Trudeau, and Valdez
Prefiled 01/08/26. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections.
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(ii) The office of Indian affairs shall consult with tribal 1
nations in the development of the training. 2
(iii) The training shall be made available to state employees in 3
an accessible manner, including but not limited to an electronic, 4
digital format to facilitate access for state employees.5
(iv) Cabinet agencies shall work with the office of Indian 6
affairs to determine appropriate staff and timing to receive the 7
training; 8
(d) Advise state agencies and departments concerning issues 9
relative to the Indian tribes and Indian organizations of Washington 10
state; 11
(e) Be the governor's liaison between the state of Washington, 12
Indian tribal governments, and Indian organizations;13
(f) Be liaison and advisor to the governor and state agencies on 14
federal and state legislation and policies in Indian affairs;15
(g) In collaboration with state agency tribal liaisons, provide 16
assistance and advice to state agencies, departments, boards, and 17
commissions concerning tribal relationships and issues impacting 18
tribal rights, communities, lands, and interests, and other American 19
Indian or Alaskan Native residents and communities of Washington 20
state; 21
(h) Regularly convene meetings with tribal nations and relevant 22
state parties to discuss issues of mutual interest in a timely 23
manner; and 24
(i) Facilitate and convene meetings with tribal leaders annually 25
to implement the Centennial Accords, including the development of the 26
agenda, identifying joint strategies, and achieving specific goals.27
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The executive head of the office of 28
Indian affairs shall be the executive director, who shall be 29
appointed by the governor and serve at the pleasure of the governor 30
as part of the governor's executive cabinet. He or she shall be paid 31
a salary to be fixed by the governor in accordance with the 32
provisions of RCW 43.03.040. 33
(2) The executive director shall employ a staff, who shall be 34
state employees pursuant to Title 41 RCW. The executive director 35
shall prescribe the duties of the staff as may be necessary to 36
implement the purposes of this chapter and may delegate such of his 37
or her powers, duties, and functions to other officers and employees 38
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of the office as he or she may deem necessary to the fulfillment of 1
the purposes of this chapter. 2
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The legislature hereby finds and 3
declares that nothing in this chapter, including, without limitation, 4
the creation of the office of Indian affairs, is intended to infringe 5
upon the sovereignty of Indian tribes who are recognized by the 6
United States as possessing powers of self-government.7
(2) Indians subject to the jurisdiction of the state of 8
Washington pursuant to the provisions of Title 9A RCW and chapter 9
37.12 RCW are entitled to all services of the state of Washington 10
including, without limitation, correctional legal aid, public 11
defender, probational and psychiatric services afforded to any other 12
persons who are defendants in criminal actions or parties to civil 13
actions in the courts of this state. 14
(3) The provisions of Title 9A RCW and chapter 37.12 RCW do not 15
preclude Indian tribes who are recognized by the United States as 16
possessing powers of self-government from enacting their own laws, 17
regulations, and ordinances, and enforcing them by their own tribal 18
courts in accordance with their rules of procedure.19
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The office of Indian affairs may establish 20
procedures and requirements for operations and expenditures to 21
support and enhance state government partnership and relationships 22
with tribal nations. Such operations and expenditures are intended to 23
strengthen state-tribal relations and provide resources for 24
government-to-government engagement. The office of Indian affairs may 25
accept or request grants or gifts from citizens and other private 26
sources to be used to defray the costs of appropriate hosting of 27
state-tribal relations gatherings, including appropriate gift giving 28
and reciprocal gift receiving, or other activities of the office. The 29
office shall open and maintain a bank account into which it shall 30
deposit all money received under this section. Such money and the 31
interest accruing thereon shall not constitute public funds, shall be 32
kept segregated and apart from funds of the state, and shall not be 33
subject to appropriation or allotment by the state or subject to 34
chapter 43.88 RCW.35
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. (1) On or before November 1st of each 36
year, the office of Indian affairs shall prepare and submit to the 37
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governor and the legislature an annual written report of the 1
operations, activities, programs, and services of the office for the 2
preceding fiscal year. 3
(2) For each operation, activity, program, or service provided by 4
the office of Indian affairs, the annual report shall include:5
(a) A description of the operation, activity, program, or 6
service; 7
(b) Budget data, including the amount and source of funding, 8
expenses, and allocation of full-time employees for the operation, 9
activity, program, or service; 10
(c) Goals, challenges, and achievements related to the operation, 11
activity, program, or service; 12
(d) Relevant federal and state statutory references and 13
requirements; and 14
(e) Other information determined by the office of Indian affairs 15
that: 16
(i) May be needed, useful, or of historical significance; or17
(ii) Promotes accountability and transparency for each operation, 18
activity, program, or service with the public and elected officials.19
(3) The annual report shall be designed to provide clear, 20
accurate, and accessible information to the public, the governor, and 21
the legislature. 22
(4) The office of Indian affairs shall: 23
(a) Submit the annual report in accordance with RCW 43.01.036; 24
and 25
(b) Make the annual report, and previous annual reports, 26
accessible to the public by placing a link to the reports on the 27
office's website. 28
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Sections 1 through 5 of this act are each 29
added to chapter 43.376 RCW.30
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