[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 110 (Monday, July 23, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H5096-H5098]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1640
BRIDGEPORT INDIAN COLONY LAND TRUST, HEALTH, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ACT OF 2012
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules
and pass the bill (H.R. 2467) to take certain Federal lands in Mono
County, California, into trust for the benefit of the Bridgeport Indian
Colony, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2467
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Bridgeport Indian Colony
Land Trust, Health, and Economic Development Act of 2012''.
SEC. 2. LANDS TO BE TAKEN INTO TRUST.
(a) In General.--Subject to valid existing rights and
management agreements related to easements and rights-of-way,
all right, title, and interest (including improvements and
appurtenances) of the United States in and to the Federal
lands described in subsection (b) are hereby declared to be
held in trust by the United States for the benefit of the
Bridgeport Indian Colony, except that the oversight and
renewal of all easements and rights-of-way with the
Bridgeport Public Utility District in existence on the date
of the enactment of this Act shall remain the responsibility
of the Bureau of Land Management.
(b) Federal Lands Described.--The Federal lands referred to
in subsection (a) are the approximately 39.36 acres described
as follows:
(1) The South half of the South half of the Northwest
quarter of the Northwest quarter of the Northeast quarter and
the North half of the Southwest quarter of the Northwest
quarter of the Northeast quarter of Section 21, Township 8
North, Range 23 East, Mount Diablo Meridian, containing 7.5
acres, more or less, as identified on the map titled
``Bridgeport Camp Antelope Parcel'' and dated July 26, 2010.
(2) Lots 1 and 2 of the Bureau of Land Management survey
plat entitled ``Dependent resurvey of a portion of the
subdivision of Section 28, designed to restore the corners in
their true original locations according to the best available
evidence, and the further subdivision of Section 28 and the
metes and bounds survey of a portion of the right-of-way of
California State Highway No. 182, Township 5 North, Range 25
East, Mount Diablo Meridian, California'' and dated February
21, 2003 containing 31.86 acres, more or less.
(c) Availability of Map.--The maps referred to in
subsection (b) shall be on file and available for public
inspection at the office of the California State Director,
Bureau of Land Management.
(d) Gaming.--Land taken into trust under this section shall
not be eligible for, or considered to have been taken into
trust for, class II gaming or class III gaming (as those
terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Gaming
Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2703)).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Hastings) and the gentleman from the Northern Mariana
Islands (Mr. Sablan) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.
[[Page H5097]]
General Leave
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their
remarks and add extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Washington?
There was no objection.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2467, which is sponsored by our colleague from
California (Mr. McKeon), places two parcels of land in trust for a
tribe in his district known as the Bridgeport Indian Colony. This is a
small tribe located in a fairly remote area in eastern California.
The two parcels are approximately 40 acres of public land currently
administered by the Bureau of Land Management. One parcel is a 32-acre
tract located along Highway 182, adjacent to the tribe's existing
reservation. The tribe states that it intends to use the lands for
housing and related community development because its existing
reservation is running out of room for additional uses.
The other parcel is a 7.5-acre tract located 30 miles off the tribe's
reservation. The tribe originally leased this property from the Bureau
of Land Management for a health clinic which closed several years ago.
The tribe still owns the building and has expressed its intent to
reopen the clinic, but without ownership of the property in trust it is
unlikely this purpose can be achieved.
Hearings were held on a similar bill in the last Congress, and the
Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs held a hearing this
year. The Department of the Interior has not expressed reservations
with holding these public lands in trust for the tribe, nor has it
requested the tribe to pay for the public land.
Though the committee has heard no opposition to the bill, the local
public utility district serving the city of Bridgeport requested
language to clarify that existing easements serving the district's
customers remain the responsibility of the BLM. The bill's sponsor, Mr.
McKeon, worked out language, after consulting with all affected
parties, to ensure this request was appropriately handled for the
benefit of the town and of the tribe.
I want to point out that while the bill was reported by the Natural
Resources Committee without objection from its members, it lacked
language addressing potential tribal gambling rights on the new trust
land. Because the expansion of gambling under the Indian Gaming
Regulatory Act may cause concern among many Members in the House, and
because the primary purpose of the lands, as explained by the tribe, is
not for operating a casino, the text of the bill before us today
includes new language prohibiting class II and class III gaming on the
public lands.
With that, the bill is a good bill, and I urge its passage. I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. SABLAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2467 would transfer two parcels of
Federal land into trust for the exclusive benefit of the Bridgeport
Indian Colony, a Federally recognized Indian tribe located in rural
Mono County, California.
The tribe seeks to expand its reservation in order to address its
additional housing and community development needs, as well as to
address its need for a local community health services clinic that will
service Indian and non-Indians in the area.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2467, and I reserve the balance
of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to yield 5
minutes to the author of this legislation, the gentleman from
California (Mr. McKeon).
Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation,
H.R. 2467, the Bridgeport Indian Colony Land Trust, Health, and
Economic Development Act of 2012. I want to thank Chairman Hastings and
Ranking Member Markey, as well as subcommittee Chairman Young and
Ranking Member Lujan, for giving my legislation a fair hearing and
moving the bill through the committee.
Mr. Speaker, the Bridgeport Indian Colony is a Federally recognized
Indian tribe with a reservation located near the town of Bridgeport in
Mono County, California. The tribe's reservation is approximately 40
acres and was established by Federal law in 1974. However, the size of
the current reservation is insufficient for the tribe's housing and
community development needs.
In order to create space for economic development and housing, my
legislation proposes to transfer from the BLM to the BIA to hold in
trust for the tribe one parcel of land contiguous to the tribe's
existing reservation, totaling approximately 31 acres. On this parcel,
the tribe plans to construct an RV park, gas station, convenience
store, and residential housing for tribal members, as well as a
recreational center to serve the greater community.
Mr. Speaker, many tribal members have expressed interest in moving
back to the reservation if housing and job opportunities can be made
available. And this bill will create jobs in a part of my district
where unemployment is over 10 percent.
Additionally, my legislation would promote the health care of the
tribe and community by taking into trust a 7-acre BLM parcel where the
Toiyabe Indian Health Project previously served the community, allowing
the clinic to be reopened and returned to service. Currently, members
of the tribe have to drive 90 miles to Bishop to obtain health care
services.
In the 1980s, the tribe applied for and received a community
development block grant from the Department of Housing and Urban
Development in order to build a health care facility in Mono County.
With Toiyabe Indian Health Project directing the project, the Camp
Antelope Health Clinic was built on a 7.16-acre parcel of Federal land
one mile north of Walker, California, approximately 30 miles from the
tribe's reservation--60 miles closer than the Bishop health clinic.
Unfortunately, the Toiyabe Indian Health Project closed the Camp
Antelope Health Clinic in 2006.
The tribe and the Toiyabe Indian Health Project have agreed that the
health clinic needs to be reopened, and the investment of the Federal
funds in the development of the health clinic from the CDBG grant adds
to the importance of maintaining the parcel under Federal ownership.
Mr. Speaker, throughout the process of developing this legislation, I
worked closely with the tribe and the Bridgeport Public Utility
District to mitigate any concerns that the utility district had
regarding the rights of way of an easement which crosses the first
parcel proposed for transfer from the BLM to the BIA in trust to the
tribe. The services provided by the utility district, both to the
community of Bridgeport as well as to the tribe, depend on the
infrastructure where this easement is located. Currently, the easement
is managed by the BLM and is subject to periodic renewal. I clarified
in my legislation that this easement should continue to be managed by
the BLM, as this has proven successful.
The Mono County Board of Supervisors voted to support the land
transfer in October of 2009 and agreed unanimously in April of 2010 to
enter into a memorandum of understanding with the tribe, thus
supporting the tribe's efforts to have these parcels of land
transferred into trust. Additionally, there is language contained in my
bill that clarifies that there will be no new gaming on lands that are
acquired by the tribe.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for giving my bill time on the floor. The
additional land will be greatly beneficial to the Bridgeport Indian
Tribe, and I urge Members to support this vital legislation.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, may I ask if there are additional speakers
on the other side?
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I tell my friend I have no
requests for time, and I am prepared to yield back if the gentleman is.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, we also urge the support and passage of this
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, this is a good piece of
legislation; I urge its passage. And I yield back the balance of my
time.
[[Page H5098]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2467, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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