Senate Bill 1011 Signing Remarks

November 18, 2025 

Good afternoon. Thank you for being here today to commemorate the signing of Senate Bill 1011.

Today is about recognizing and supporting a future based on mutual respect and transformative government to government partnership with our nine federally recognized Tribal nations. The history of this land and the history of the State of Oregon is intertwined with shameful acts of violence, oppression, and systematic eradication committed by the United States government and the State of Oregon against the Peoples who have resided here since time immemorial. As leaders today, we have a clear, moral duty to act differently – to do the tangible work of reconciliation and find actionable steps towards a more equitable future. 

SB 1011 is a profound and necessary step forward in upholding the sovereignty of the Tribes and strengthening the essential integrity of our government-to-government relationships. This new law formalizes the process to undo the injustice of Public Law 280.

In 1953, the federal government enacted Public Law 280 without Tribal consultation during the “Termination Era” and forced states like Oregon to assume broad criminal and civil jurisdiction over tribal lands. This undermined tribal sovereignty and disrupted tribal justice systems. It also produced chronically poor law enforcement on reservations, since states received no federal funding for these new duties and often lacked the cultural, political, and legal understanding needed to serve tribal communities effectively. 

Although Congress passed the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 to allow for states to ask for retrocession and transfer criminal and civil matters back to the federal government, with tribal approval, it has been an ad hoc process.

Senate Bill 1011 recognizes Tribal sovereignty and makes retrocession easier. It builds on a model we know works to return state-assumed jurisdiction to the federal government. It is clear and transparent. 

This bill does not tell Tribes what they must do. It simply creates a clear process. 

I want to thank Senator Broadman for championing this important legislation and for the advocacy of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to help get it done.