Vacating convictions involving the exercise of treaty rights by Indian tribal members.

HB 1982 allows courts to vacate past convictions of tribal members for offenses related to exercising treaty rights, such as fishing, hunting, gathering, or pasturing on tribal lands. It specifically targets convictions for violating historical laws (like former RCW 75.08.260) that criminalized these treaty-protected activities. The bill amends state law to create a process where individuals can petition courts to withdraw guilty pleas, set aside verdicts, or dismiss charges for qualifying offenses, with limited exceptions (e.g., pending charges or violent offenses). This directly affects federally recognized tribal members convicted under such laws before 1975. The law also requires the state to fund legal assistance and public awareness about this process.