Oregon bill would outline process for tribes to regain legal authority

Oregon lawmakers are considering Senate Bill 1011, which would create a formal process for federally recognized tribes to request jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters on tribal land. The bill responds to a 1950s-era federal law that granted six states—including Oregon—jurisdiction over tribal reservations, a move tribes have long said infringes on sovereignty.

Attorney Brent Leonhard of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation discussed the bill’s potential impact on OPB’s “Think Out Loud.”