[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 205 (Monday, November 29, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8782-S8783]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein):
  S. 3273. A bill to take certain land in the State of California into 
trust for the benefit of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, 
and for other purposes; to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
  Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Agua Caliente 
Land Exchange Fee to Trust Confirmation Act.
  This legislation would place certain lands into trust for the Tribe 
in order to finally allow the Agua Caliente Band of Mission Indians to 
manage these lands that are of special, cultural value to their people 
.
  Land that has traditionally been held by Agua Caliente has been 
divided into a checkerboard between the Tribe, Federal Government, and 
private landowners.
  In 1999, the Bureau of Land Management and Agua Caliente entered into 
an agreement to acquire and exchange lands within what would become the 
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. In 2000, 
legislation was enacted to establish the monument and authorize the 
land exchange.
  For 17 years, Agua Caliente worked with the Bureau of Land Management 
to finalize an agreement to exchange the lands that are addressed by 
this legislation, and in March 2019, the land exchange was finalized. 
However, since the original legislation didn't expressly address the 
status of land transferred to the Tribe, the lands covered in this bill 
were not placed in trust. My legislation would correct that and provide 
the fix to finally place the exchanged land into trust and made part of 
Agua Caliente's reservation.
  This bill represents the final step to complete the original 1999 
agreement between Agua Caliente and the Bureau of Land Management.
  Importantly, enactment of this legislation would allow for improved 
land management and allow Agua Caliente to manage these lands that have 
a longstanding cultural and natural resource value to the Cahuilla 
people.
  The land is in a remote wilderness area within the Santa Rosa and San 
Jacinto Mountains National Monument, and the Tribe will manage the land 
as conservation lands similar to how it is managed by the Bureau of 
Land Management.
  I thank Congressman Ruiz for his partnership on this effort and for 
his commitment to honoring the Federal Government's trust 
responsibility. I also thank the bipartisan Members of the House who 
have supported this legislation and Senator Feinstein for coleading 
this effort with me in the Senate.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact the Agua 
Caliente Land Exchange Fee to Trust Confirmation Act as quickly as 
possible.

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