Southern Ute Tribal Chairman, Chairman Melvin J. Baker represented the Tribe before the American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee. The historic committee, established to bridge the gap between American Indian communities and the state legislature, has been instrumental in advancing Tribal interests. 

Over the past four months, Chairman Baker and Tribal staff provided testimony on critical issues such as Reservation-wide exclusions, the recognition of Tribal Court orders and warrants, and amendments to the Indian Child Welfare Act. Last week, in the Committee’s final meeting in Denver, Chairman Baker shared the Tribe’s priorities with legislators. 

The Committee, led by Majority Leader Representative Monica Duran, voted to advance three bills for consideration, reflecting the progress made in advocating for Tribal sovereignty. “Our Tribe has a long history of resilience and self-determination,” Chairman Baker said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with the Committee and advance our shared goals.” 

In late July, the Committee held a meeting on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, providing legislators with firsthand insights into the Tribe’s priorities and operations. Tours of the Pine River Indian Irrigation Project, the Southern Ute Indian Montessori Academy, and Tribal Court offered a deeper understanding of the Tribe’s unique challenges and accomplishments. For several Committee members and legislative staff, this was their first visit to the Reservation.  

The following are bills that will be advanced:  

• Bill 1, sponsored by Committee Chair Majority Leader Duran, Vice Chair Sen. Cleave Simpson, Sen. Jessie Danielson, and Rep. Ron Weinberg, extends the American Indian Affairs Interim Committee for an additional five years. Under this bill, after five years this Committee will be re-evaluated by the Executive Committee of the Legislative Council members. The extension of this six-member Committee would entail a new progress reporting process to continue to examine issues and challenges that impact American Indians and Tribes. 

• Bill 3, sponsored by Sen. Danielson and Rep. Junie Joseph, would reclassify bison as “wildlife” and “big game” unless the bison are owned as livestock. Classifying bison as wildlife would mean that hunting or poaching the animal is illegal unless authorized by rule of Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). CPW would manage the bison in order to help maintain the health of the population and provide compensation for farmers and ranchers if damage to property occurs. Under this bill, bison would join classification with other big game, such as elk, white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose and bighorn sheep. Bison are sacred animals to the Tribal community and this bill would help prevent illegal hunting and poaching. 
• Bill 5, sponsored by Sens. Dylan Roberts and Danielson and Reps. Weinberg and Joseph, would change Colorado state law to recognize an arrest warrant issued by a federally recognized Tribe with a Reservation within the exterior boundaries of the state. This bill also requires that any commitment order issued by a Tribal court is recognized to the same extent as a commitment order entered by a state court, which includes orders from law enforcement agencies, behavioral health facilities and health care providers. This bill would ensure that a state court shall give full faith and credit to an arrest warrant and civil commitment issued by a Tribal court.  

The bills will now go to the Legislative Council for approval before being introduced in the next session. Once introduced in the 2025 session, interim bills will follow the standard legislative process.