[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 207 (Wednesday, December 1, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6735-H6736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       AGUA CALIENTE LAND EXCHANGE FEE TO TRUST CONFIRMATION ACT

  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 897) to take certain lands in California into trust 
for the benefit of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla 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. 897

       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 ``Agua Caliente Land Exchange 
     Fee to Trust Confirmation Act''.

     SEC. 2. LANDS TO BE TAKEN INTO TRUST.

       (a) In General.--The approximately 2,560 acres of land 
     owned by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians generally 
     depicted as ``Lands to be Taken into Trust'' on the map 
     entitled ``Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Land to be 
     Taken into Trust'' and dated November 17, 2021, is hereby 
     taken into trust by the United States for the benefit of the 
     Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.
       (b) Lands Part of Reservation.--Lands taken into trust by 
     this section shall be part of the Tribe's reservation and 
     shall be administered in accordance with the laws and 
     regulations generally applicable to property held in trust by 
     the United States for an Indian Tribe.
       (c) Gaming Prohibited.--Lands taken into trust by this 
     section for the benefit of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla 
     Indians shall not be eligible for gaming under the Indian 
     Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. 
Westerman) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New Mexico.


                             General Leave

  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from New Mexico?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 897 will take approximately 2,560 acres of 
specified lands in California into trust for the Agua Caliente Band of 
Cahuilla Indians and make these lands part of the Agua Caliente Indian 
Reservation.
  The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is indigenous to the 
desert and canyons of what we now call the Coachella Valley. I was just 
there, Madam Speaker, and it is beautiful, and the manner in which the 
Agua Caliente Band takes care of the land and works with their 
community is superb. They should be recognized for their ability to 
have that government-to-government relationship with their neighbors.
  The Agua Caliente Indian Reservation was established in 1876, with 
their ancestral lands located in the greater Palm Springs area. Over 
the centuries, the lands traditionally held by the Agua Caliente were 
divided by parcels owned by the Tribe, the Federal Government, and 
private entities. The divided plots of land led to a checkerboard 
formation of ownership.
  The Tribe has been involved in land transfers with the Federal 
Government to consolidate the traditional land and reclaim certain 
culturally significant areas throughout the years. In 1999, the Tribe 
assisted in preserving the cultural resources surrounding the Santa 
Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument and supported 
legislation for its recognition.
  The national monument legislation included a land exchange of remote 
wilderness located within the national monument. Although the 
legislation establishing the national monument passed, it did not 
expressly state the status of any land transferred to the Tribe through 
the land exchange.
  The lack of explicit language about the status of land led to the 
Bureau of Land Management and the Tribe working for at least 17 years 
to finalize a binding exchange agreement for the 2,560 acres addressed 
in this bill.
  This bill improves land management by the Tribe and the Bureau of 
Land Management by consolidating the checkerboard land ownership around 
the Tribe's reservation by placing these lands into trust.
  Concerns regarding public access to trails have been addressed. The 
Tribe has a long history of maintaining public trails within the 
monument boundary. I urge anybody who is in the area to go take a hike 
on the trails. They are beautiful.
  The land is within a remote wilderness area and will be managed 
similarly to how the Bureau of Land Management oversaw the land.
  In a good faith effort to support the conservation efforts of the 
binding exchange agreement, the Tribe included a gaming prohibition for 
the lands in H.R. 897.
  I thank Dr. Raul Ruiz for his sponsorship of this bill and his hard 
work getting it to this point.
  Madam Speaker, I urge swift adoption of H.R. 897, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 897, the Agua Caliente Land Exchange Fee to Trust 
Confirmation Act, would place approximately 2,560 acres of land owned 
by the Agua Caliente Tribe within the reservation into trust.
  And I will agree with the gentlewoman from New Mexico. I have visited 
this area, and it is a beautiful area.
  The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians' reservation is located 
approximately 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles in and around Palm 
Springs, California, with nearly 11,000 acres of the reservation within 
the city limits of Palm Springs.
  Originally established in 1876 by President Grant, the Tribe's 
reservation only encompassed 1\1/2\ acres. Today, the reservation is 
approximately 31,000 acres.
  The lands in question were acquired through a land exchange with the 
Bureau of Land Management in 2018 pursuant to the Santa Rosa and San 
Jacinto Mountains National Monument Act of 2000. H.R. 897 would allow 
the Bureau of Land Management exchange lands owned by the Tribe to be 
taken into trust and made part of the Tribe's reservation. Gaming 
pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act would be prohibited. The 
Tribe intends to use the land for conservation purposes. According to 
the Tribe, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains hold strong 
cultural and historical value to the Tribe.
  I appreciate the work of the Tribe and the bill's sponsor to advance 
this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support 
this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 897, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. PERRY. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
  Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion 
are postponed.

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