Gregoire hosts Centennial Accord meeting

For Immediate Release: June 9, 2011

Gov. Chris Gregoire and cabinet members attended the 22nd annual Centennial Accord meeting today and continued efforts to strengthen the partnership between Washington and the federally recognized tribes within the state. Throughout the meeting, Gregoire, cabinet members and tribal leaders discussed their mutual interests and highlighted what their partnership had achieved.

�The Centennial Accord has strengthened the relationship between Washington state and the sovereign tribes within its borders,� Governor Gregoire said. �For more than 20 years, the accord has provided a framework we have used to improve education, protect the environment and create jobs. I am honored to have been a part of the 22nd annual Centennial Accord meeting and remain committed to strengthening Washington�s partnership with the tribes.�

Governor Gregoire helped Governor Booth Gardner write the Centennial Accord in 1989, when she served as assistant attorney general. State officials and leaders signed the accord that same year and created the framework for a positive, government-to-government partnership between Washington and the federally recognized tribes within it.

At this year�s meeting, Governor Gregoire was joined by cabinet members and leaders from the Department of Corrections, Liquor Control Board, Department of Transportation, Governor�s Office of Indian Affairs, Office of Financial Management, Health Care Authority, Department of Social and Health Services, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and Department of Early Learning.

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