Public resources: Native American Heritage Commission.

Existing law establishes a Native American Heritage Commission, and requires at least 5 of the 9 members of the commission to be elders, traditional people, or spiritual leaders of California Native American tribes, nominated by Native American organizations, tribes, or groups within the state. This bill would instead require at least 5 of 9 members of the commission to be elders, traditional people, or spiritual leaders of California Native American tribes that are federally recognized or that are actively seeking federal recognition, nominated by Native American organizations or tribes within the state. Existing law empowers the commission to do certain things, including (1) to develop a list of all California Indian tribes, as provided, (2) to make recommendations to the Director of Parks and Recreation and the California Arts Council relative to the California State Indian Museum and other Indian matters touched upon by Department of Parks and Recreation programs, and (3) to provide, on or before July 1, 2016, each California Native American tribe, defined to mean a Native American tribe located in California that is on that contact list maintained by the commission, with a list of all public agencies that may be a lead agency, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act, within the geographical area with which the tribe is traditionally and culturally affiliated, the contact information of those public agencies, and information on how the tribe may request the public agency to notify the tribe of projects within the jurisdiction of those public agencies for the purposes of requesting consultation pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act. This bill, among other things relating to the commission's powers and duties, would continue the existing requirement on the commission to make recommendations to the Director of Parks and Recreation and the California Arts Council relative to the California State Indian Museum, but would remove the requirement on the commission to make recommendations to the Director of Parks and Recreation and the California Arts Council relative to other Indian matters touched upon by Department of Parks and Recreation programs. The bill would require the commission to provide, on or before July 1, 2025, each California Indian tribe that is federally recognized or that is actively seeking federal recognition with the list of public agencies and the other information described above for the purposes of requesting consultation pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act.