[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 192 (Monday, December 12, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H9676-H9677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 KLAMATH TRIBE JUDGMENT FUND REPEAL ACT

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (S. 314) to repeal the Klamath Tribe Judgment Fund Act.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 314

       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 ``Klamath Tribe Judgment Fund 
     Repeal Act''.

     SEC. 2. REPEAL.

       Public Law 89-224 (commonly known as the ``Klamath Tribe 
     Judgment Fund Act'') (79 Stat. 897) is repealed.

     SEC. 3. DISBURSEMENT OF REMAINING FUNDS.

       Notwithstanding any provision of Public Law 89-224 (79 
     Stat. 897) (as in effect on the day before the date of 
     enactment of this Act) relating to the distribution or use of 
     funds, as soon as practicable after the date of enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall disburse to the 
     Klamath Tribe the balance of any funds that, on or before the 
     date of enactment of this Act, were appropriated or deposited 
     into the trust accounts for remaining legal fees and 
     administration and per capita trust accounts, as identified 
     by the Secretary of the Interior, under that Act (as in 
     effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act).

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
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 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 314, the Klamath Tribe 
Judgment Fund Repeal Act, introduced by Senator Merkley of Oregon. Our 
colleague, Representative Schrader of Oregon, has the House companion 
to this legislation.
  This bill will provide long-awaited relief to the Klamath Tribes by 
restoring the Tribe's self-governance over the management of its own 
judgment funds.
  Like many tribes, the Klamath Tribes were terminated by Congress in 
the 1950s--in their case, through passage of the Klamath Termination 
Act. In addition to termination, the legislation established procedures 
for the sale of reservation land belonging to Tribal members.
  At the time, the Tribe was required to submit to the Secretary of the 
Interior a final roll call of Tribal members. The final roll call was 
eventually used to settle the Tribe's ongoing Indian Claims Commission 
suits under the Klamath Tribe Judgment Fund Act.
  Fortunately, in 1986, the Klamath Tribes' Federal trust relationship 
with the United States was restored. However, the judgment fund did not 
account for this restoration and limited the ability of the Tribe to 
settle any outlying claims.
  Today, the Klamath Tribes have no ability to determine how Tribal 
funds can be allocated to Tribal members or other Tribal priorities. 
This goes against Tribal sovereignty and is a violation of the 
authorities upheld by Federal recognition.
  S. 314 will right this wrong by repealing the outdated Klamath Tribe 
Judgment Fund Act and restoring the Tribe's ability to exercise its 
sovereign authority over its own Tribal judgment funds.
  I thank Senator Merkley and Representative Schrader for introducing 
this important piece of legislation and supporting the Tribe in its 
lengthy quest for a remedy.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 314. This bill would repeal the 
Klamath Judgment Fund Act and direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
disburse to the Klamath Tribes the balance of any funds that were set 
aside for legal fees, administration, and per capita trust accounts.
  The legislation will bring to a close the final distribution of 
judgments the Klamath Tribes received through the Indian Claims 
Commission for a wide variety of historical claims. These judgment 
funds were distributed primarily to individual Tribe members and their 
heirs because, at the time, Congress had rescinded Federal recognition 
of the Klamath Tribes before the judgments were finalized. The Klamath 
Tribes regained Federal recognition in 1986.
  According to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill affects 
approximately $600,000 remaining in the Klamath Judgment Fund for 
approximately 200 Tribal members or their next of kin that the 
Department of the Interior says it cannot locate.
  The Klamath Tribes has requested that these remaining funds be 
transferred to the Tribe so that they may distribute the remaining 
funds to the Tribal elders still living, who were parties to the 
judgments.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez), the chair of the 
Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States.
  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Grijalva and 
Ranking Member Obernolte, as well as Majority Leader Hoyer and others, 
for working to bring this and several other commonsense bills serving 
Indian Country to the floor today.
  Though I think most folks are already in the holiday cheer, it was 
just a couple of weeks ago, in November, that we celebrated Native 
American Heritage Month.
  Last November, we were able to consider a number of bipartisan Tribal 
bills under suspension of the rules in recognition of this 
commemorative month and in honor of Tribal communities across this 
country.
  We must not only recognize and commemorate Native Americans, but we 
must act in Congress to reaffirm Tribal sovereignty, Tribal self-
determination, and our own trust responsibilities to the Tribes.
  So, even though we are a couple of weeks off this time, I am thrilled 
that we could again dedicate House floor time to Tribal nations and 
communities. It is my hope that we can continue this tradition in the 
118th Congress and beyond.
  I stand here today in support of S. 314, the Klamath Tribe Judgment 
Fund Repeal Act. As Chair Grijalva noted, and Representative Obernolte 
seconded, we considered this bill in our committee in order to right a 
historical wrong.
  We heard directly from the Klamath Tribes' chairman about what this 
bill means to him and his people, and the importance of enacting it to 
finally truly acknowledge their self-determination and Tribal 
sovereignty.
  Upon enactment of this bill, we will finally provide control of the 
Klamath Tribe Judgment Fund to the Tribe in recognition of its 
important role.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
  Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page H9677]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 314.
  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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