OLYMPIA, Wash.- A bill which would name Washington State’s tribal history curriculum after Representative John McCoy, who died in June 2023, is moving quickly through the Washington Senate after passing the House with unanimous support.
McCoy, whose Lushootseed name was lulilaš, was an advocate for the rights of sovereign nations to prosecute crimes which take place on tribal land in tribal court systems. He also championed a policy which required Washington school districts to teach students about local indigenous history.
HB 1879 would add McCoy’s name to the state’s tribal history curriculum, which is currently entitled Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State.
Under the language of the policy, the program title would be changed to the John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial curriculum.
HB 1332, which would require the Since Time Immemorial curriculum to be implemented by all state school districts by the 2024-2025 school year did not make it to the governor’s desk last year. It could still be signed into law if it passes the Senate during this session.
HB 1879 passed the House on Feb. 10 and was briefly before the Senate Committee on Early Learning and K-12 Education on Feb. 21.
HB 1332 has been passed twice by the House due to the policy initially being introduced in 2023, but has yet to make it to the Senate floor for a final vote. It is awaiting a placement on the floor calendar along with HB 1332.
