December 12, 2023 9:40 a.m. 

On Monday, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle’s bill that she says would restore fairness for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians passed in the House by voice vote.

A release from Hoyle said the legislation will provide the legal ability for the Siletz and the State of Oregon to change a clause that Hoyle believes to be discriminatory. That clause has severely limited the hunting, fishing, trapping, and gathering abilities of the Siletz. Senator Jeff Merkley leads the Senate version of the bill.

Hoyle said, “The Siletz Tribe never should be been forced to give up their sovereign right to hunt, fish and gather on their ancestral lands”. Hoyle said, “We have a responsibility to right this historic wrong and ensure the Siletz are treated as other Tribes are. As a new member of Congress, I am grateful to have had the opportunity for this important bill to be my first standalone bill to pass in the House. I hope the Senate will move it forward as soon as possible so it can become a law”.

Siletz Tribal Chair Dee Pigsley said, “I want to thank Rep. Hoyle for her commitment to setting history straight for the Siletz Tribe and its members”. Pigsley said, “House passage of her legislation is an important milestone, and its enactment will be the most significant, positive act of federal policy since Congress restored federal recognition to the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians”.

The release said Hoyle’s bill, H.R. 2839, will allow the Siletz Tribe to return to federal court to request the termination or modification of the consent decree from 1980 that unfairly forced the Siletz to give up their traditional hunting and fishing activities as a condition for having their land and status restored. Hoyle said while the Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission recently approved a historic new hunting and fishing agreement with the Siletz Tribe, the State of Oregon can choose or be forced by litigation to the previous unconscionable agreement. The legislation is necessary to invalidate the consent decree.

The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians have over 5,000 enrolled members and are headquartered on Oregon’s coast. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde are the only tribes in the country that have consent decrees that legally prevent them from negotiating for traditional hunting and fishing activities on their land. Hoyle supports similar legislation, H.R. 2850, which would address the consent decree that restricts the Grand Ronde Tribe. Merkley also leads the Senate version of that bill.