The State must do better to meet its obligation to work and partner with the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes as the sovereign nations and partners that they are. As governor, I will ensure that state agencies work with the Tribes as valued partners and co-equal entities.

As part of that commitment, as governor:

• On my first day in office, I will sign an executive order committing the state government Executive Branch to partnering with the Tribes. This includes directing that in all interactions with the Tribes and their representatives that state agencies and state employees respect and interact with them according to their sovereign nation status and with the priority this rightfully entails.

• To ensure that Tribal matters are raised and considered at the highest levels of government and policy discussions, I will elevate the director of the Colorado Commission on Indian Affairs to Cabinet-level status.

• I will sign an executive order that requires that all state agencies that have interactions or partner projects with the Tribes must utilize at least one dedicated and trained tribal liaison.

• I will fully support the implementation of S.B. 22-150 by the Department of Public Safety and the Office of the Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives to reduce this violence and bring perpetrators to justice. And I will sign further legislation to build upon these efforts to curb the alarming violence against people of indigenous backgrounds.

• I will support the principles of S.B. 25-061 regarding the sovereignty of the Tribes in how the General Assembly enacts laws. And I will not support any legislation that is vague in its application to Tribal entities or lands, or fails to respect and honor the Tribes’ sovereignty.