State Tribal Institute at National Conference of State Legislatures

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Recognition of Indian Tribes

States’ government-to-government relationships with tribes continue to evolve, taking many forms, including formal recognition. Usually accomplished through legislative action, state recognition of American Indian tribes is just one tool used to build state-tribal collaboration.

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State-Tribal Collaboration

There are many good reasons for states and tribes to strive for cooperation. States and tribes have far more in common than they have in conflict. Cooperation and mutual respect leads to positive results for both states and tribes.

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State-Tribal Institute

All Documents

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NCNASL

The National Caucus of Native American State Legislators (NCNASL) works to promote a better understanding of state-tribal issues among policymakers and the public at large.

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State-Tribal

Every year numerous bills are considered by state legislatures that can affect tribal communities. These bills address a variety of issues including the environment, education, health care, taxes/revenue and education. View legislation for the current legislative session here.

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Overview

The National Conference of State Legislatures has a long history of work on state-tribal relations. Over the last few years, this work has evolved and expanded in scope. It has brought attention to the government-to-government relationship that exists between the tribes and the states and, at the personal level, highlights the unique leader-to-leader relationships that exist between tribal leaders and state legislators. Tribal governments across the United States are exercising their self-governing powers and taking more control over program administration and the provision of services within their communities. As a result, there is an increasing need for state policymakers to learn to interact with tribes as sovereign governments, instead of viewing them as special interests or minority groups contained within a few states.