[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 175 (Tuesday, December 6, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H7212]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





PROVIDING FOR THE ADDITION OF CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY TO THE RESERVATION 
               OF THE SILETZ TRIBE IN THE STATE OF OREGON

  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (S. 817) to provide for the addition of certain real property 
to the reservation of the Siletz Tribe in the State of Oregon.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 817

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

     SECTION 1. PURPOSE; CLARIFICATION.

       (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to facilitate fee-
     to-trust applications for the Siletz Tribe within the 
     geographic area specified in the amendment made by this Act.
       (b) Clarification.--Except as specifically provided 
     otherwise by this Act or the amendment made by this Act, 
     nothing in this Act or the amendment made by this Act, shall 
     prioritize for any purpose the claims of any federally 
     recognized Indian tribe over the claims of any other 
     federally recognized Indian tribe.

     SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN PROPERTY OF THE SILETZ TRIBE OF 
                   THE STATE OF OREGON.

       Section 7 of the Siletz Tribe Indian Restoration Act (25 
     U.S.C. 711e) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(f) Treatment of Certain Property.--
       ``(1) In general.--
       ``(A) Title.--The Secretary may accept title to any 
     additional number of acres of real property located within 
     the boundaries of the original 1855 Siletz Coast Reservation 
     established by Executive order dated November 9, 1855, 
     comprised of land within the political boundaries of Benton, 
     Douglas, Lane, Lincoln, Tillamook, and Yamhill Counties in 
     the State of Oregon, if that real property is conveyed or 
     otherwise transferred to the United States by or on behalf of 
     the tribe.
       ``(B) Trust.--Land to which title is accepted by the 
     Secretary under this paragraph shall be held in trust by the 
     United States for the benefit of the tribe.
       ``(2) Treatment as part of reservation.--All real property 
     that is taken into trust under paragraph (1) shall--
       ``(A) be considered and evaluated as an on-reservation 
     acquisition under part 151.10 of title 25, Code of Federal 
     Regulations (or successor regulations); and
       ``(B) become part of the reservation of the tribe.
       ``(3) Prohibition on gaming.--Any real property taken into 
     trust under paragraph (1) shall not be eligible, or used, for 
     any gaming activity carried out under the Indian Gaming 
     Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.).''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Bishop) and the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands 
(Mr. Sablan) 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 may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous materials 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, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  This bill deals with the Siletz Tribe in the State of Oregon. It is a 
bill that the tribe could apply to have land placed in trust within the 
original 1855 boundaries of their reservation. The bill prohibits 
gaming on land acquired in trust under this bill and is identical to a 
version of H.R. 3211 that we dealt with in our committee.
  I think it is a good bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 817 will grant the Confederated Tribes of Siletz 
Indians of Oregon the ability to more easily restore their tribal 
lands.
  The tribe's original lands were greatly diminished by the Federal 
Government during the disastrous allotment and assimilation period of 
the late 1800s. Thus, the Western Oregon Indian Termination Act of 1954 
terminated their Federal status and eliminated their remaining land 
base altogether. The tribe was rightly restored in 1977 but has had 
trouble reacquiring parts of their original land base due to the nature 
of their restoration.
  Passage of S. 817 will finally address this issue, so the tribe will 
no longer have to face delays in dealing with the Department of 
Interior when taking certain land into trust. This is the culmination 
of nearly 3 decades of effort by the Siletz tribe. I congratulate them 
on their tireless work and perseverance.
  I also want to commend Senator Wyden for promoting this legislation, 
and our colleague from Oregon, Mr. Schrader, for championing the House 
version of the bill.
  I urge the adoption of S. 817.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I urge consideration of this bill 
favorably.
  I yield back the balance of my 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, S. 817.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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