WORKING TOGETHER TO STRENGTHEN STATE–TRIBAL PARTNERSHIPS

Dear friends and neighbors,

With the 2026 legislative session just around the corner, I want to share some of the work the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee has done over the interim. In October, our committee held a field work session (watch it on TVW here) on the Puyallup Reservation to hear directly from tribal leaders, advocates, and partners. These conversations are an essential part of strengthening government-to-government relationships and ensuring that Washington’s policies reflect respect, collaboration, and accountability.

We covered a range of issues central to tribal sovereignty, public health, and community safety—from the future of sports betting and data sharing to the ongoing work to bring justice for missing and murdered Indigenous people.

TOUR OF THE GAMBLING LAB

Ahead of the work session, we toured the Washington State Gambling Commission’s Electronic Gambling Lab in Lacey. The Gambling Lab is responsible for testing every gaming machine and software program used in Washington’s casinos.

We learned about their robust certification process that ensures all electronic gaming is fair, secure, and fully compliant with state and tribal regulations. The tour offered valuable context for the discussion on sports betting in our work session, and the role of regulation in protecting both players and tribal enterprises.

SPORTS BETTING

Yael Rowe and John Straus, with the Emerald Queen Casino, and Tricia Gullion, with the Washington State Gambling Commission provided an overview of how sports betting operates under state–tribal compacts. state legalized on-premise sports betting in Casinos in 2020 (authorized by House Bill 2638). Since then, 18 tribes have implemented a sports betting system in their casinos, including 5 that allow on-site mobile betting.

They discussed compliance with federal financial regulations, the prohibition on betting for in-state collegiate teams, and growing concerns about illegal online “prediction markets”. Committee members also learned about the economic benefits that sports betting brings to tribal communities through job creation and increased local investment.

HEALTH DATA AND TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY

Vicki Lowe, Executive Director of the American Indian Health Commission, delivered a presentation on the importance of accessibility to accurate health data, a critical piece of tribal sovereignty and self-determination. She explained that tribal governments have the same public-health powers as state and federal governments, but limited access to health data has hindered their ability to serve their communities effectively. To protect tribal affiliation data, the Governor’s Indian Health Advisory Council established Tribal Data Sovereignty Principles, asserting that: Tribes own and control their data. Informed consent is required for its use. Tribes must have equal access to their own data. Third-party access cannot override tribal authority.

MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND PEOPLE (MMIWP) TASK FORCE

Lucy Smartlowitt, Senior Tribal Policy Analyst with the Attorney General’s Office, presented the latest updates from the MMIWP Task Force. Established in 2021, the Taskforce is dedicated to addressing the crisis of violence against Indigenous people. Its work has focused on establishing a Cold-Case Investigation Unit, expanding DNA identification projects, and improving coordination between tribal and non-tribal law-enforcement agencies. Smartlowitt reported that at the time of the presentation, Washington had 122 unsolved homicides and 104 missing Indigenous persons. She additionally reported that Indigenous people are 3 times more likely to be homicide victims than non-Natives and Native women’s homicide rate is 3.7 times higher than non-Native women. The MMIWP Task Force’s plans include: Expanding training for law enforcement on federal Indian law and racial classification. Developing preventative education materials for schools and communities. Addressing human-trafficking intersections with MMIWP cases.

Our committee was grateful to the Puyallup Tribe for hosting our work session and for their ongoing leadership in advancing tribal sovereignty and public safety.

If you have any feedback on the issues discussed in the work session, or you need more information on any of these topics, please contact my office.

And if you have comments, concerns or ideas on legislation for the upcoming session, please let me know, I always appreciate your input, as it helps me represent you better.

Sincerely,