# Plain Language Summary: Grand Ronde Tribes Hunting and Fishing Rights

This bill updates a law that governs the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community in Oregon, specifically addressing their rights to hunt, fish, trap, and gather animals on their reservation and potentially in surrounding areas. The bill essentially clarifies and potentially expands what activities the tribe's members are allowed to do for food and traditional purposes.

The Grand Ronde Tribes have a long history of hunting and fishing in their traditional territories, and this bill is meant to ensure those rights are properly recognized and protected under federal law. By amending the original Grand Ronde Reservation Act, Congress is updating outdated language to reflect what the tribe's members can actually do today. This might include clarifying which animals they can hunt, where they can hunt them, and under what conditions—whether for personal use, cultural ceremonies, or other traditional purposes.

For the tribe's members, this could mean greater clarity about their legal rights to practice traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering activities without legal complications. For non-Native people living in or visiting the region, it establishes clear boundaries about tribal hunting and fishing rights, which helps prevent conflicts between tribal members and others who use the same lands and waters. The bill is essentially about honoring treaty obligations and tribal sovereignty while making sure everyone understands what the rules actually are.

A bill to amend the Grand Ronde Reservation Act to address the hunting, fishing, trapping, and animal gathering rights of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community, and for other purposes.

Merkley, Jeff

This bill provides a process by which the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and Oregon may negotiate to amend or replace the existing agreement defining the tribe's hunting, fishing, trapping, and animal gathering rights. The current agreement, which was made effective by a January 12, 1987, consent decree by the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, serves as the exclusive and final determination of the tribe's hunting, fishing, trapping, and gathering rights. This bill instead allows a December 2, 1986, agreement between the United States, Oregon, and the tribe (known as the Grand Ronde Hunting and Fishing Agreement) to define the tribe's rights until and unless it is amended or replaced upon mutual agreement of the tribe and Oregon. The bill allows the tribe and Oregon to return to the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon to request the modification or termination of the January 12, 1987, consent decree.