[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4634 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4634

To require that the Secretary of the Interior hold at least one public 
 hearing in the surrounding community where land requested to be taken 
  into trust for an Indian tribe is located in order to ascertain the 
           needs and interests of that surrounding community.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 17, 2005

  Mr. McHugh (for himself and Mr. Boehlert) introduced the following 
         bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require that the Secretary of the Interior hold at least one public 
 hearing in the surrounding community where land requested to be taken 
  into trust for an Indian tribe is located in order to ascertain the 
           needs and interests of that surrounding community.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. HEARING REQUIRED.

    (a) In General.--Not less than 6 months before approving any 
application to take land into trust for an Indian tribe, the Secretary 
of the Interior shall hold at least one public hearing (in addition to 
any hearings held pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969) in the surrounding community where the land requested to be taken 
into trust is located in order to ascertain the needs and interests of 
that surrounding community. All interested individuals shall be 
afforded the opportunity to participate in such hearings.
    (b) Transcripts.--The Secretary shall, on a timely basis, make 
transcripts of such hearings available to the public via the Internet 
or other electronic means.
    (c) Waiver.--Subsection (a) shall not apply if each county in the 
relevant surrounding community waives the right to such hearings.
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