[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 138 (Thursday, November 13, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H7951-H7952]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TRIBAL LAND EXCHANGE ACT

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4867) to provide for certain land to be taken into 
trust for the benefit of Morongo Band of Mission Indians, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4867

       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 ``Economic Development Through 
     Tribal Land Exchange Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       For the purposes of this Act, the following definitions 
     apply:
       (1) Banning.--The term ``Banning'' means the City of 
     Banning, which is located in Riverside County, California 
     adjacent to the Morongo Indian Reservation.
       (2) Fields.--The term ``Fields'' means Lloyd L. Fields, the 
     owner of record of Parcel A.
       (3) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled `Morongo 
     Indian Reservation, County of Riverside, State of California 
     Land Exchange Map', and dated May 22, 2014, which is on file 
     in the Bureau of Land Management State Office in Sacramento, 
     California.
       (4) Parcel a.--The term ``Parcel A'' means the 
     approximately 41.15 acres designated on the map as ``Fields 
     lands''.
       (5) Parcel b.--The term ``Parcel B'' means the 
     approximately 41.15 acres designated on the map as ``Morongo 
     lands''.
       (6) Parcel c.--The term ``Parcel C'' means the 
     approximately 1.21 acres designated on the map as ``Banning 
     land''.
       (7) Parcel d.--The term ``Parcel D'' means the 
     approximately 1.76 acres designated on the map as ``Easement 
     to Banning''.
       (8) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.
       (9) Tribe.--The term ``Tribe'' means the Morongo Band of 
     Mission Indians, a federally recognized Indian tribe.

     SEC. 3. TRANSFER OF LANDS; TRUST LANDS, EASEMENT.

       (a) Transfer of Parcel A and Parcel B and Easement Over 
     Parcel D.--Subject to any valid existing rights of any third 
     parties and to legal review and approval of the form and 
     content of any and all instruments of conveyance and policies 
     of title insurance, upon receipt by the Secretary of 
     confirmation that Fields has duly executed and deposited with 
     a mutually acceptable and jointly instructed escrow holder in 
     California a deed conveying clear and unencumbered title to 
     Parcel A to the United States in trust for the exclusive use 
     and benefit of the Tribe, and upon receipt by Fields of 
     confirmation that the Secretary has duly executed and 
     deposited into escrow with the same mutually acceptable and 
     jointly instructed escrow holder a patent conveying clear and 
     unencumbered title in fee simple to Parcel B to Fields and 
     has duly executed and deposited into escrow with the same 
     mutually acceptable and jointly instructed escrow holder an 
     easement to the City for a public right-of-way over Parcel D, 
     the Secretary shall instruct the escrow holder to 
     simultaneously cause--
       (1) the patent to Parcel B to be recorded and issued to 
     Fields;
       (2) the easement over Parcel D to be recorded and issued to 
     the City; and
       (3) the deed to Parcel A to be delivered to the Secretary, 
     who shall immediately cause said deed to be recorded and held 
     in trust for the Tribe.
       (b) Transfer of Parcel C.--After the simultaneous transfer 
     of parcels A, B, and D under subsection (a), upon receipt by 
     the Secretary of confirmation that the City has vacated its 
     interest in Parcel C pursuant to all applicable State and 
     local laws, the Secretary shall immediately cause Parcel C to 
     be held in trust for the Tribe subject to--
       (1) any valid existing rights of any third parties; and
       (2) legal review and approval of the form and content of 
     any and all instruments of conveyance.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may 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 Alaska?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 4867 authorizes an acre-for-acre land exchange between the 
Morongo Band of Mission Indians and a non-Indian landowner to resolve a 
land use and access dispute.
  Under the exchange, the private landowner would transfer clear title 
to a 41-acre parcel of land he currently owns within the Morongo 
Reservation, which is located in the State of California, to the 
Secretary of the Interior, who would then hold the land in trust for 
the benefit of the tribe. The Secretary would simultaneously transfer 
to the private landowner clear title to a 41-acre parcel of the tribe's 
trust land on the edge of the reservation, affording reasonable access 
for his economic use of the property. The bill additionally authorizes 
conveyances of easements by the tribe and the city of Banning to 
address certain city and tribal needs.
  The Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs held a hearing 
on H.R. 4867, which was followed by Natural Resources Committee 
approval by

[[Page H7952]]

unanimous consent. This legislation is noncontroversial, and I urge the 
House to pass this legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I want to commend my colleague, Representative Ruiz of California, 
for sponsoring this legislation, for working so hard to bring all of 
the diverse interests to the table, and for coming up with a 
noncontroversial, bipartisan solution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Ruiz) to speak on his legislation.
  Mr. RUIZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the gentleman 
from Arizona for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of my bill, H.R. 4867, the 
Economic Development Through Tribal Land Exchange Act, which is a 
noncontroversial, bipartisan bill that passed unanimously out of the 
House Natural Resources Committee and is supported by the Department of 
the Interior.
  The bill would aid economic development in the city of Banning, 
California, through a land swap, supported by all of the parties 
involved. Currently, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and a private 
landowner, Mr. Lloyd Fields, would like to exchange two parcels of land 
which are nearly identical in size and value, but they are restrained 
from doing so because one of the parcels is currently held in trust by 
the United States on behalf of the tribe.
  My bill facilitates an equitable land swap between the Morongo Tribe 
and the landowner to provide more consolidated reservation land for the 
tribe and commercial development opportunities for the landowner, the 
city of Banning and Riverside County.
  The bill is consistent with the Department of the Interior's policy 
of promoting land consolidation within Indian country and facilitating 
economic development. We can all support this type of commonsense, 
bipartisan legislation for the simple reason that it benefits all 
parties involved and spurs job creation.
  This bill serves as a model for how land use issues can be addressed 
by a community's coming together while upholding the sacred government-
to-government relationship between the Federal Government and Indian 
tribes.
  I would like to thank Chairman Robert Martin of the Morongo Band of 
Mission Indians in the city of Banning for bringing this issue to my 
attention; my colleague, Representative Paul Cook from California, for 
being an original cosponsor; and Senator Boxer from California for 
introducing the companion bill. I would also like to thank the 
Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs' Chairman Young and 
Ranking Member Hanabusa for holding a hearing on this bill as well as 
to thank Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member DeFazio for considering 
this bill in committee and for their help in bringing it to the floor 
today.
  I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 4867, the Economic Development Through 
Tribal Land Exchange Act.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 4867, 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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