Tuolumne Me-Wuk Land Transfer Act of 2008

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests.

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 16, 2008, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: 2354, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey 4 parcels of land from the Bureau of Land Management to the city of Twin Falls, Idaho; S. 3065, to establish the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area and the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area; S. 3069, to designate certain land as wilderness in the State of California, and for other purposes; S. 3085, to require the Secretary of the Interior to establish a cooperative watershed management program, and for other purposes; H.R. 3473, to provide for a land exchange with the City of Bountiful, Utah, involving National Forest System land in the Wasatch- Cache National Forest and to further land ownership consolidation in that national forest, and for other purposes; H.R. 3490, to transfer administrative jurisdiction of certain Federal lands from the Bureau of Land Management to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to take such lands into trust for Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria, and for other purposes; and H.R. 3651, to require the conveyance of certain public land within the boundaries of Camp Williams, Utah, to support the training and readiness of the Utah National Guard.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by email to [email protected] .gov.

For further information, please contact David Brooks at (202) 224- 9863 or Rachel Pasternack at (202) 224-0883.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that the location has been changed for an upcoming hearing before the Subcommittee on National Parks. The

hearing will be held on Monday, July 21, 2008, at 9:30 a.m., the new location: Alumni Hall, Highsmith Union, University of North Carolina Asheville, One University Heights, Asheville, North Carolina.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony regarding the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory of all species within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Specifically, the hearing will address: (1) How much has been learned up to this point and at what cost? (2) What is left to be done and what is the estimated time and cost to complete the inventory? (3) How has the data been used and are there other ways to use it? (4) What changes, if any, should be made in the program and (5) Should the program be expanded to include other National Parks?

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by email to [email protected] .gov.

For further information, please contact Kira Finkler at (202) 224- 5523 or Rachel Pasternack at (202) 224-0883.

Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to express my support for H.R. 3490, the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Land Transfer Act of 2007. H.R. 3490 was considered and approved by the House of Representatives yesterday. This bill provides for the transfer of three small parcels of land from the Bureau of Land Management to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in trust for the benefit of the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Tribe located in Tuolumne, California.

I introduced this bill on behalf of the Tuolumne Me-Wuk, a federally recognized tribe in my district. In addition to providing for the land transfer, H.R. 3490 also extends the boundaries of the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Reservation to encompass the BLM lands and other certain lands that have either been taken into trust for the Tribe, or that the federal government has announced plans to take into trust for the Tribe.

The lands to be transferred are located in close proximity to the existing Tuolumne Me-Wuk Reservation. They include a small parcel which contains an active tribal burial ground, a parcel originally intended as an inter-tribal health facility that was never built, and a third parcel located near the first two. These lands will be available to meet the needs of tribal housing, along with cultural and infrastructure improvements. Furthermore, the Tuolumne Me-Wuk burial ground deserves to be properly maintained and preserved by the Tribe. None of these lands are to be used for tribal gaming.

The Bureau of Land Management expressed support for this land transfer in the Natural Resources Committee hearing earlier this month and has listed the parcels as available for disposal. In addition, there is local support for this non-controversial land transfer from the community and the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors.

I thank my colleagues for recognizing the benefits of this legislation and unanimously supporting the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Land Transfer Act of 2007. Furthermore, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to continue the movement of this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3490) to transfer administrative jurisdiction of certain Federal lands from the Bureau of Land Management to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to take such lands into trust for Tuolumne Band of Me- Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. 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 resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, this measure introduced by our colleague from California, George Radanovich, would transfer approximately 66 acres of land from the Bureau of Land Management to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

This land would be held in trust for the Tuolumne band of Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria. The BLM land is adjacent to land held in trust for the tribe or that is owned in fee by the tribe. Included on this land is a cemetery where the tribe has historically buried its ancestors.

Other areas of this land would be used for a cultural center, agricultural activities, housing, and open-space needs. The legislation prohibits these lands from being used for gaming.

In addition, approximately 357 acres of land which the tribe already owns would be deemed to be within the tribe's reservation boundaries.

Essentially, the purpose of this legislation is to make this tribe whole.

I urge my colleagues to support the measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back my time.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hold a hearing entitled, ``Medicare Vulnerabilities: Payments for Claims Tied to Deceased Doctors.'' The Subcommittee hearing will examine fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicare program in connection with the payment of claims containing the physician identification numbers of doctors who had died at least 1 year before the prescription was filled. The hearing will focus on Durable Medical Equipment (DME) claims citing a deceased doctor as the prescribing physician, and inadequate oversight by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to correct the problem. The Subcommittee will also issue a Subcommittee staff report in conjunction with the hearing summarizing its investigative findings. Witnesses for the upcoming hearing will include representatives from CMS, Health & Human Services' Office of the Inspector General, and the Social Security Administration.

The Subcommittee hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, July 9, 2008, at 10:30 a.m., in Room 342 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. For further information, please contact Elise Bean of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations at 224-9505.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3490 takes 66 acres of Federal land into trust for the tribe's existing reservation for nongaming purposes. In addition, it deems three tracts of adjacent land part of the tribe's reservation in the Sierra Nevada. The tribe will use the lands to alleviate overcrowded housing, to build a cultural center, for agriculture, and for open space. They will also continue to use the land as a cemetery.

Congressman Radanovich should be commended for his work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to join the administration in support of this particular piece of legislation.

I yield back my time.