[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 183 (Monday, November 6, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5411-H5412]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             GRAND RONDE RESERVATION ACT AMENDMENT OF 2023

  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1722) to amend the Grand Ronde Reservation Act, and for 
other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1722

       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 ``Grand Ronde Reservation Act 
     Amendment of 2023''.

     SEC. 2. GRAND RONDE RESERVATION ACT AMENDMENT.

       Section 1(d) of Public Law 100-425 (commonly known as the 
     ``Grand Ronde Reservation Act''; 102 Stat. 1594; 108 Stat. 
     4566) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``lands within the State 
     of Oregon'' and inserting ``the 84 acres known as the 
     Thompson Strip'';
       (2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and
       (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
       ``(2) Gaming prohibition.--Any real property obtained by 
     the Tribes as part of a land claim settlement approved by the 
     United States, including any real property purchased with 
     funds granted as part of any land claim settlement, shall not 
     be eligible, or used, for any class II gaming or class III 
     gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 
     et seq.) (as those terms are defined in section 4 of that Act 
     (25 U.S.C. 2703)).''.

     SEC. 3. TREATY RIGHTS OF FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES.

        Nothing in this Act, or an amendment made by this Act, 
     shall be construed to enlarge, confirm, adjudicate, affect, 
     or modify any treaty right of an Indian Tribe (as defined in 
     section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education 
     Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)).

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on H.R. 1722, the bill now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arkansas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1722, the Grand Ronde Reservation Act Amendment of 
2023, would amend the Grand Ronde Reservation Act to reflect that the 
Grand Ronde Tribe's extinguishment of land claims against the United 
States only applies to an 84-acre parcel of land known as the Thompson 
Strip.
  Alongside many Tribes in western Oregon, the Grand Ronde Tribe 
entered into treaties with the United States in the 1850s. President 
James Buchanan established the Grand Ronde Reservation in 1857, which 
consisted of more than 60,000 acres. This solidified the Federal 
Government's treatment of the Grand Ronde as a single Tribe for Federal 
services and benefits.
  However, in 1954, the Western Oregon Indian Termination Act was 
signed into law which severed the trust relationship between the 
Federal Government and the Tribe.
  In 1983, the Tribe was successful in obtaining a restoration of 
Federal recognition through enactment of the Grand Ronde Reservation 
Act. This legislation also reestablished a reservation for the Tribe in 
Yamhill County, Oregon.
  On October 31, 1988, the Bureau of Land Management discovered several

[[Page H5412]]

surveying errors on a parcel of land known as the Thompson Strip, which 
was located along the southeast boundary of the Tribe's reservation.
  The BLM worked toward a resolution with the Tribe, which concluded in 
1994 when Congress authorized a land transfer between the BLM and the 
Tribe. While that legislation corrected the survey error, the Tribe 
later determined that the phrase ``extinguishment of claims'' in the 
bill would include all, and potential future, land claims within the 
entire State of Oregon for the Tribe.
  The Grand Ronde contends that this was done in error and that there 
was no intention to bar them from future land claims beyond the 
Thompson Strip.
  H.R. 1722 would amend current law in order to specify that the Tribe 
is only barred from bringing land claims related to the 84-acre 
Thompson Strip parcel, not all lands within the State of Oregon.
  Additionally, H.R. 1722 would add a gaming prohibition for any future 
land claims and prohibits the use of any money received as part of a 
land claim settlement from being used to purchase land for gaming 
purposes under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Salinas for her work on the 
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1722, the Grand Ronde 
Reservation Amendment Act of 2023 offered by my colleague from Oregon 
(Ms. Salinas).
  This legislation will correct a decades-old error that restricted the 
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in raising land claims in the State 
of Oregon.
  During the ``termination era,'' a shameful time for our country, the 
Confederated Tribes, and other Tribes in Oregon, had their Federal 
recognition terminated by Congress in 1954. The Grand Ronde Tribe was 
later restored in 1983 with the passage of the Grand Ronde Restoration 
Act.
  However, in 1988, the Bureau of Land Management discovered a land 
surveying mistake on the eastern boundary of the Tribe's original 
reservation. The survey excluded an 84-acre piece of land known as the 
Thompson Strip.
  To compensate the Grand Ronde Tribe for the loss incurred by that 
error, the Bureau of Land Management subsequently arranged a land 
exchange with the Tribe to be approved by Congress.
  Unfortunately, through that legislation in 1994, the Grand Ronde saw 
their rights further restricted with language that prohibited the Tribe 
from making any additional land claims if new errors were delivered.
  Today's bill would end this unfair restriction on the Tribe so that 
they may pursue recourse if additional survey errors are ever found. No 
other Tribe in the State of Oregon faces this kind of legal 
restriction.
  This legislation has bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, 
having passed out of committee by voice vote in the Senate, and 
unanimously here in the House.
  The passage of this legislation would be immensely consequential for 
the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am 
prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Salinas), the sponsor of this 
bipartisan legislation.
  Ms. SALINAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1722, the 
Grand Ronde Reservation Act Amendment of 2023.
  My district is the proud home of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand 
Ronde community, who, like Oregon's other indigenous peoples, were the 
original stewards of our land and abundant natural resources, yet they 
have also faced tremendous injustices at the hands of the Federal 
Government.
  The Grand Ronde Reservation was established in 1857. In 1871, during 
a survey of the reservation, an 84-acre piece of land known as the 
Thompson Strip was mistakenly excluded. It took over 100 years for this 
error to be delivered, and rectifying it does require an act of 
Congress.
  At some point in the process of drafting legislation, language was 
erroneously inserted that took away Grand Ronde's right to bring any 
further land claims in the entire State of Oregon, not just around the 
Thompson Strip.

                              {time}  1545

  The Grand Ronde community is to this day the only Tribe in Oregon 
that is subject to this prohibition.
  H.R. 1722 will finally correct this decades-old error and restore 
Grand Ronde's ability to pursue land claims. This legislation enjoys 
strong bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.
  I thank my colleagues here today from the Natural Resources 
Committee, as well as the support of the entire Oregon delegation.
  Passage of H.R. 1722 would be enormously consequential for the Grand 
Ronde community. It would also represent a historic step forward for 
indigenous peoples' rights in America. I have always believed that 
while we are not responsible for the ills of the past, we are 
responsible for remedying them today.
  Mr. Speaker, my amendment to the Grand Ronde Reservation Act aligns 
with that important pursuit. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to join me in supporting this bill.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, again, this legislation clarifies the 
land claims of the Grand Ronde Tribe so they can pursue and ensure 
certainty, and it does ensure certainty regarding gaming. I appreciate 
the gentlewoman for bringing this legislation and Ranking Member 
Grijalva's work to move this in a bipartisan manner.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1722.
  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. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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