July 19, 2023

Rep. Hoyle and Senator Merkley’s Bill to Restore Fairness for Siletz Tribe Passes Through Committee

WASHINGTON DC - Today, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley’s identical bills to restore fairness for the Siletz Tribe passed out of committee in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. The legislation would remove a discriminatory legal clause that has severely limited the hunting, fishing, trapping, and gathering abilities of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (Siletz).

The U.S. House version of the bill, H.R. 2839, passed unanimously today by voice vote in the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee. An identical version of the bill, S. 1286, passed out of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

“The Siletz Tribe never should have been forced to give up their sovereign right to hunt and fish on their ancestral lands. Passing this bill in committee is one step closer to getting a vote on the House floor and eventually being signed into law,” said Rep. Hoyle. “As a member of the Natural Resources Committee, we have a responsibility to right this historic wrong and ensure the Siletz are treated as other Tribes are. I’m grateful to have had this opportunity.”

“The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians were forced to give up their traditional ability to hunt, fish, and gather on Tribal land as the price to restore their homelands. This historic injustice has stood for far too long,” Sen. Merkley said. “Committee passage was a critical first step toward finally giving the Tribes the legal ability to renegotiate the restrictive agreement, and I will continue working alongside Representative Hoyle to bring justice to the Siletz community.”

“The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians is extremely grateful to Rep. Hoyle for introducing this legislation. It reverses a historic wrong against the Siletz people and removes an unconscionable restriction to fish, hunt and gather foods in our ancestral homelands,” said Chairman Dee Pigsley.

This legislation will allow the Siletz Tribe to return to federal court to request the termination or modification of the consent decree from 1980 that unfairly forced the Siletz to give up their traditional hunting and fishing activities. While the Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission recently approved a historic new hunting and fishing agreement with the Siletz Tribe, the state of Oregon can choose or be forced by litigation to return to the previous unconscionable agreement. The legislation is necessary to invalidate the consent decree.

The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians have over 5,000 enrolled members and are headquartered on Oregon’s coast. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde are the only tribes in the country that have consent decrees that legally prevent them from negotiating for traditional hunting and fishing activities on their land. Rep. Hoyle also supports similar legislation, H.R. 2850, which would address the consent decree that restricts the Grand Ronde Tribe. Merkley also leads the Senate version of this bill.

Congresswoman Val Hoyle represents Oregon’s newly drawn fourth congressional district, which includes Benton, Coos, Curry, Lane, and Lincoln Counties, as well as part of Douglas County. Representative Hoyle serves on the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources. Visit https://hoyle.house.gov/ or follow @RepValHoyle for more information.

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