[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 171 (Saturday, November 22, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE GRAND RONDE ON THE 20TH 
        ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR RESTORATION TO FEDERAL RECOGNITION

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                          HON. DARLENE HOOLEY

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 21, 2003

  Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 20th 
anniversary this November 22 of the restoration to federal recognition 
of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon.
  Twenty years ago, on November 22, 1983, President Ronald Reagan 
signed into law the Grand Ronde Restoration Act, Public Law 98-165, 
bringing to fruition a long and determined effort by the elders and 
leaders of the Grand Ronde Tribes to reverse their thirty years of 
termination.
  The vision and perseverance that marked the Grand Ronde's triumph 
over that very difficult termination period has continued to guide them 
since restoration.
  Since restoration, the Tribe has grown strong and prospered. The 
sense of Tribal community, severely tested but not broken during 
termination, has flourished among a membership that, while looking to 
the future, actively embraces its culture, traditions, and long 
history. The Tribe's home lands, once reduced to their cemetery, are 
now thriving with housing for elders and other Tribal members, a Tribal 
community center, a beautiful and modern health clinic, and new 
governmental offices. In the near-by hills, the Tribe sustainably 
manages its 9,800 acre forested reservation, secured with further 
legislation in 1988.
  In the two decades since restoration, the Grand Ronde Tribal 
government has pursued its full measure of responsibility, representing 
and providing for the Tribal membership, and directly administering the 
full range of federal services. A key element is the Tribal 
government's efforts to provide for the economic security of its 
members and its own self-reliance. In twenty years, the Tribe has 
become a primary economic engine in the area, moving from its timber 
base into a gaming and hotel facility and today into more broadly 
diversified endeavors that keep an eye toward the future.
  And throughout all of this, the Grand Ronde Tribe has sought to work 
cooperatively with its neighbors. This is a hallmark of the 
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Despite the understandable 
temptations to walk their own path, they have consistently reached out 
to their neighbors, seeking to foster understanding and cooperation. 
There is no better example of this in the Spirit Mountain Community 
Fund. This fund has given over 22 million dollars to community 
organizations since its creation in 1997.
  For the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, it has been a remarkable 
twenty years of progress and fulfillment. As for all the restored 
tribes of Oregon, restoration is a defining moment in their long 
history, and on the November 22, 2003 twentieth anniversary of the 
restoration of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of 
Oregon, I wish to commemorate and salute their achievement.




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