Pascua Yaqui Tribe Trust Land Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4222) to provide for the conveyance of certain land inholdings owned by the United States to the Tucson Unified School District and to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4222, authored by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), directs the Secretary of the Interior to take two approximately 10-acre parcels of Federal land into trust for the Pascua Yaqui tribe in Arizona. The two parcels are completely surrounded by either the tribe's reservation or by fee lands owned by the tribe.

Before one of the parcels can be taken into trust, however, the Tucson Unified School District will need to relinquish its possessory interest in the parcel. The school district no longer needs the land, which it had previously received under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act. Both parcels would be utilized as part of a golf course as currently under construction. Neither parcel is necessary for the construction of the golf course, but if the tribe does not acquire and use the parcels, they will be orphaned and of relatively no use to either the tribe or to the United States.

Finally, as has been the practice of the committee during the last several Congresses, this bill includes language that prohibits any gaming on the two parcels to be taken into trust, and the tribe has no objection to this language.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I advise my friend from Arizona that I have no more requests for time on this excellent piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me thank the chairman for moving the legislation forward. I'm very appreciative.

H.R. 4222 is an important piece of legislation that will enable the Pascua Yaqui tribe of my district in Arizona to consolidate its landholdings and remove two isolated undeveloped parcels of land from the Bureau of Land Management responsibility.

The two 10-acre parcels are islands of trapped Federal land surrounded by Pascua Yaqui land on all sides. The tribe is developing a golf course in this area, and conveying these two parcels to the tribe will make managing the land easier for the tribe and the Federal Government. Without this legislation, the tribe would have to design around the parcels, slowing down the project, and weakening economic development that will benefit the entire Pascua Yaqui community and the residents of Pima County. Passage of this bill will further the Federal Government's responsibility to enhance tribal trust resources.

I worked with BLM to ensure that the language of the bill would allow for environmental review and a public comment period in line with the National Environmental Policy Act and am pleased to report that the bill we are taking up today is supported by the Agency. I wish to thank my colleagues and the leadership within the Natural Resources Committee for bringing this bill forward and for hopeful passage in this session.

I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 4222, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for saving this very complicated and important piece of legislation as the last item that we deal with here today. My appreciation.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.