Bond Financing Renewal Act of 2005

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) for his comments and his leadership on this very important issue to native peoples in my district.

The Colorado River Indian Reservation Boundary Correction Act, H.R. 794, will correct a long-standing injustice. In the early part of the 20th century, nearly 16,000 acres of land known as the La Paz lands were stripped from the Colorado River Indian Tribes' reservation by executive order in response to heavy lobbying from a private mining company that wanted to mine for silver on the land. The Tribes were never provided with an opportunity to challenge the decision, nor were they ever compensated for the loss of their land.

Subsequent reviews by the Department of Interior concluded the lands were inappropriately removed from the reservation and should be returned to the Tribes. Senator Barry Goldwater recognized this fact when he introduced similar legislation to restore those lands years ago. He stated during the hearing before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that his grandfather, who had settled in the Ehrenberg area, had long recognized that the La Paz lands were Indian lands.

Madam Speaker, the lands that will be returned to the Tribes under this legislation were part of their reservation for almost 40 years prior to the 1915 executive order. This is not an expansion of the Tribes' reservation. It is a restoration of the original reservation based on accepted Department of Interior surveys.

H.R. 794 will return 15,375 acres of land to the Tribes. These lands hold cultural and spiritual value for the Tribes, as well as potential for economic development.

During the almost 90 years that the land has been under the jurisdiction of

the Bureau of Land Management, certain activities have taken place there. The legislation ensures that existing uses may continue. The Tribes have agreed to honor existing mining claims, right of way, utility corridors, hunting, and public access.

In addition, several provisions have been added related to water rights and prohibition of gaming on the lands. While I feel that these restrictions may impose upon tribal sovereignty, the Tribe itself has indicated its willingness to accept these provisions in order to achieve passage of the legislation, and I defer to them on that matter.

Madam Speaker, this bill honors our agreements and our commitments to the Native peoples of my district by returning what rightfully belongs to them. I am pleased to be joined by my colleagues from Arizona and California on both sides of the aisle in promoting this long-overdue legislation, and I particularly want to thank the leadership within the Committee on Resources for making this bill a priority for passage again in this Congress. It is my joy to see this important piece of legislation move to the House floor and come one step closer to resolution. The Colorado River Indian people have been waiting 90 years for return of their lands, and it is my hope that they will not wait much longer.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 794) to correct the south boundary of the Colorado River Indian Reservation in Arizona, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 794, which is sponsored by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), corrects an historic injustice to the Colorado River Indian Tribes. It is substantially identical to H.R. 2941, legislation that was passed in the House last year but was not considered in the Senate.

Passage of this measure is long overdue. It restores 16,000 acres of public lands in Arizona to the Colorado River Indian Reservation wrongfully excluded from the reservation over 90 years ago.

Created by an Act of Congress in 1865, the reservation was expanded by President Grant in order to prevent encroachment by non-Indians. The expansion included a 16,000-acre area called the La Paz lands.

The La Paz expansion did not hold up for very long. The original surveys to affix the boundary of the La Paz addition were rescinded by President Wilson. A survey of dubious merit, apparently at the behest of people who coveted the Tribes' lands, was substituted for the valid surveys. As a result, the La Paz lands were excluded from the reservation.

All credible evidence indicates that the La Paz lands were wrongly deleted from the Tribes' reservation. Subsequent attempts to restore them a few times during the 1900s did not meet with success.

H.R. 794 finally restores the La Paz lands to its rightful owner, subject to valid, existing rights and interests and excluding certain parcels owned by the State of Arizona. The bill requires the boundary line of the reservation to reflect the addition of these lands.

As I explained, with one minor exception, this bill is exactly the same as H.R. 2941 that was passed by the House last year but went no further. The only difference is the title of the map has been changed to correct a typographical error.

Because this measure is unchanged from what the House approved last year, I urge my colleagues today to pass H.R. 794. With Congress' help, the Colorado River Indian Tribes can finally put this justice behind them. I urge adoption of the bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge passage of this bill. I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.