Klamath Tribes Hosts Triannual U.S Dept. of Health and Human Services and ACF Tribal Advisory Committee Meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:  June 16, 2023

Contact: Ken Smith, Public Relations Director
kenneth.smith@klamathtribes.com; 541-783-2219 ext. 147

Klamath Tribes Hosts Triannual U.S Dept. of Health and Human Services and ACF Tribal Advisory Committee MeeNng

CHILOQUIN, Ore. – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Administration of Children and Families (ACF) held their Triannual ACF Tribal Advisory Committee Meeting in Chiloquin Tuesday and Wednesday. The meeting was hosted by The Klamath Tribes. 

A session was held Tuesday morning for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) Caucus, followed by a Tribal Opening and Welcome ceremony. During the session, acknowledgments were made for the Tribal lands, culture, and lifeways of the Klamath People, and TAC members and visitors joining to listen to the meeting were welcomed. Attendees then addressed the responsibilities of the ACF and TAC, and the address ACF’s commitment to working in partnership with sovereign Tribal nations. Tribal and Federal officials to the State of Oregon also attended and were introduced.

Opening remarks were provided by Loni Greninger, Vice Chair of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and ACF-TAC Chair, and January Contreras, Assistant Secretary, ACF.

The Klamath Tribes and Oregon State held a session on the successful collaboration effort between the Tribes and Oregon Department of Health Services to reduce child welfare caseloads involving Klamath Tribal families. Speakers included George Lopez, General Manager, Klamath Tribes, Rebecca Jones-Gaston, Commissioner, ACYF, AC, and Peter Sprengelmeyer of Oregon Department of Human Services.

After lunch, a session was conducted for Supporting Tribal Childhood Development with presenters Katie Hamm, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood, Development, Office of Early Childhood Development, Ruth Friedman, Director, Office of Child Care, and Khari Garvin, Director, Office of Head Start. 

Attendees then travelled to the Klamath Tribes Early Childhood Development Center where they were greeted by the Center’s Director, Jennifer Jackson, who provided a tour of the school. The day was capped off with a dinner at the Crater Lake Lodge and a presentation of the tribal importance of Crater Lake. 

Day two of the meetings featured a presentation by Tanguler Gray, Commissioner for the Office of Child Support Services. Bullet points of the presentation included: updates on OCSS Priorities, including: Publication of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Elimination of the Tribal Non-Federal Share Requirement; Human Centered Design Projects; Supporting Fathers and Furthering Employment; proposed Regulation on Parentage Establishment; Name Change for the Office of Child Support Enforcement. 

Supporting Tribal Child Welfare followed next with discussion included a brief overview of the Supreme Court decision on Brackeen v. Haaland and an open dialogue on how Tribal governments and ACF will respond to the decision, which the Supreme Court upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act in a 7-2 decision.

Following lunch, three sessions of discussion began on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) with the first session addressing intersectionality of federal agencies and tribes in responding to 

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Crisis. The session included a presentation by Klamath Tribes to remember our loved ones who were victims. Participants were encouraged to bring an item (e.g. picture, special words or keepsake) to place at the Memorial Wall set up by Kelli Campagna. Program Manager, of Klamath Tribes Healing Winds.  Presentation was provided by Christy David, Executive Director of Klamath Advocacy Center on lack of collaboration between agencies observed by the Klamath Tribes and its effects on Tribal communities.

Th second session of MMIP included Increasing Collaborations between Federal Agencies and Tribes to Address MMIP in Tribal Communities, setting the context was the Klamath Tribes on the observed lack of collaboration and its effects on Tribal communities. Discussions followed addressing: “What is ACF’s role in prevention, response/intervention, coordination with law enforcement, advocacy, recovery, healing, and other issues, and “How is ACF approaching MMIP work (i.e., funding opportunities, Tribal advisory groups, listening sessions.”

The third session of MMIP included a brief presentation on the current draft of the ACF MMIP Framework. ACF TAC Tribal Delegates notified attendees of scheduled work sessions in the next month to provide feedback to ACF.

The MMIP sessions were followed by a listening session on Environmental Justice and Climate Change with presenter Natalie Grant of the Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response. 

Closing remarks were delivered by Ms. Greninger and the meeting adjourned around 6 p.m.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Administra2on of Children and Families (ACF) held their Triannual ACF Tribal Advisory CommiXee Mee2ng in Chiloquin Tuesday and Wednesday. The mee2ng was hosted by The Klamath Tribes. (Photo by Ken Smith/Klamath Tribes. Image available for media use.)