[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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