[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 127 (Wednesday, September 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H6076]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  ALLOWING PASCUA YAQUI TRIBE TO DETERMINE REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP

  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 3319) to allow the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to determine the 
requirements for membership in that tribe, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3319

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

     SECTION 1. REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP DETERMINED BY TRIBE.

       Section 3 of Public Law 95-375 (25 U.S.C. 1300f-2) is 
     amended to read as follows:
       ``Sec. 3.  For the purposes of section 1 of this Act, 
     membership of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe shall consist of any 
     United States citizen of Pascua Yaqui blood enrolled by the 
     tribe.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Bishop) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, since I doubt very seriously if I 
can get through any kind of statement and say ``Pascua Yaqui'' Tribe 
accurately, it would be my intent, if I could, to yield 10 minutes to 
the gentleman from Arizona to explain his bill. It's a good bill, we 
support it, and he can say it properly.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I appreciate Chairman Bishop's indulgence at this point.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3319, a bill that would 
authorize the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to set its own membership criteria by 
replacing congressionally mandated criteria that artificially limited 
enrollment to certain Yaqui people based on application deadlines and 
other requirements that do not reflect tribal input.
  H.R. 3319 reflects the modern congressional policy of allowing 
federally recognized tribes to set their own membership criteria. The 
bill eliminates current membership requirements imposed by statute and 
replaces them with a requirement that members possess any degree of 
Indian blood as determined by the tribe. The Pascua Yaqui Tribe, like 
all federally recognized tribes, has the inherent right to determine 
its own membership without restrictions imposed by the Federal 
Government.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 3319, 
and I yield back the remainder of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, the House actually passed a bill 
similar to this on tribal membership that recognized a tribe in Texas 
last year, so there is precedent for this event. I would therefore have 
no objection to the passing of this resolution today and urge Members' 
support of it.
  With that, I yield back all the remainder of the time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 3319, 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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