The Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of Colorado, which is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, began its 2025 legislative session in January. To protect the Tribe’s interests, the Tribal Council remains consistently involved in advocating for and tracking legislation that is of interest or may have an impact on the Tribe. Tribal Council prioritizes building collaborative relationships with state legislators to ensure Tribal sovereignty and rights to self-determination are respected and upheld. This session, Tribal Council has participated in the following House bills with testimony: 

 

House Bill 25-1163: Free Access to State Parks for Colorado Ute Tribes 

• This House bill is sponsored by Representatives Katie Stewart and Rick Taggert and Senators Dylan Roberts and Cleave Simpson. The bill allows enrolled members of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe to enter state parks in Colorado without having to pay an entrance fee. This bill has passed the House Committee on Agriculture, Water, & Natural Resources and is under consideration by the House Appropriations Committee. To ensure Ute Tribal members can reconnect with their ancestral homelands and access culturally significant plants, Vice Chairman, Marvin Pinnecoose provided testimony supporting the proposed legislation.   There were efforts to expand this legislation to members of all federally recognized Tribes.  However, those Tribal members do not have the historical and cultural connection to the land that the Nuuchu  do. In addition, those Tribes do not have the unique government-to-government relationship with the State that the resident Ute Tribes do.  Therefore, that request was rejected by the Legislative Committee.   

  

House Bill 25-1204: Colorado Indian Child Welfare Act  

• The federal Indian Child Welfare Act has constantly been under attack. The Tribal Council wanted to be proactive and protect the federal legislation by including it in state law. For the past year the Tribe has been consulting with key stakeholders and worked on the bill’s introduction this year. This bill codifies the federal “Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978” into state law as the “Colorado Indian Child Welfare Act” (CO-ICWA) and provides additional protections for Indian children and children known to be Indian children under state law. This bill is sponsored by strong advocates for the Tribe, House Majority Leader Monica Duran and Representative Junie Joseph in the House and Senator Jessie Danielson in the Senate. This bill has passed the Health & Human Services and Appropriations Committee in the House and is now under consideration by the Senate Health & Human Services Committee.  

• Chairman, Melvin J. Baker provided virtual testimony to highlight four critical aspects:  

• One, the bill requires state and county agencies to assist with enrolling Native children if they are eligible for enrollment.  

• Two, the bill establishes an order of placement preferences for children that need to be placed outside their home, including family members, foster homes in the same Tribe, and Tribal members that are culturally similar to the child’s Tribe, among others.  

• Three, when adopting or granting guardianship over a Native child, the court may require the parties to enter into a cultural compact or plan for participation in cultural activities. 

• Finally, a Tribe, parent, or custodian may seek a Tribal customary adoption as an alternative to terminating the parental rights in state court. 

• Chairman Baker concluded his testimony by stating this bill is, “a promise to our Native children that their identity matters, their heritage is sacred, and their future is worth fighting for.” 

 

These House bills, while progressing through the legislative process and receiving Tribal Council advocacy, are currently in progress and have not yet been enacted into state law; a subsequent article will detail the status of Senate bills.