The publication is reproduced in full below:
AGUA CALIENTE LAND EXCHANGE FEE TO TRUST CONFIRMATION ACT
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 897) to take certain lands in California into trust for the benefit of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 897
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 ``Agua Caliente Land Exchange Fee to Trust Confirmation Act''.
SEC. 2. LANDS TO BE TAKEN INTO TRUST.
(a) In General.--The approximately 2,560 acres of land owned by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians generally depicted as ``Lands to be Taken into Trust'' on the map entitled ``Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Land to be Taken into Trust'' and dated November 17, 2021, is hereby taken into trust by the United States for the benefit of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.
(b) Lands Part of Reservation.--Lands taken into trust by this section shall be part of the Tribe's reservation and shall be administered in accordance with the laws and regulations generally applicable to property held in trust by the United States for an Indian Tribe.
(c) Gaming Prohibited.--Lands taken into trust by this section for the benefit of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians shall not be eligible for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New Mexico.
General Leave
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam 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 measure under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from New Mexico?
There was no objection.
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 897 will take approximately 2,560 acres of specified lands in California into trust for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and make these lands part of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation.
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is indigenous to the desert and canyons of what we now call the Coachella Valley. I was just there, Madam Speaker, and it is beautiful, and the manner in which the Agua Caliente Band takes care of the land and works with their community is superb. They should be recognized for their ability to have that government-to-government relationship with their neighbors.
The Agua Caliente Indian Reservation was established in 1876, with their ancestral lands located in the greater Palm Springs area. Over the centuries, the lands traditionally held by the Agua Caliente were divided by parcels owned by the Tribe, the Federal Government, and private entities. The divided plots of land led to a checkerboard formation of ownership.
The Tribe has been involved in land transfers with the Federal Government to consolidate the traditional land and reclaim certain culturally significant areas throughout the years. In 1999, the Tribe assisted in preserving the cultural resources surrounding the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument and supported legislation for its recognition.
The national monument legislation included a land exchange of remote wilderness located within the national monument. Although the legislation establishing the national monument passed, it did not expressly state the status of any land transferred to the Tribe through the land exchange.
The lack of explicit language about the status of land led to the Bureau of Land Management and the Tribe working for at least 17 years to finalize a binding exchange agreement for the 2,560 acres addressed in this bill.
This bill improves land management by the Tribe and the Bureau of Land Management by consolidating the checkerboard land ownership around the Tribe's reservation by placing these lands into trust.
Concerns regarding public access to trails have been addressed. The Tribe has a long history of maintaining public trails within the monument boundary. I urge anybody who is in the area to go take a hike on the trails. They are beautiful.
The land is within a remote wilderness area and will be managed similarly to how the Bureau of Land Management oversaw the land.
In a good faith effort to support the conservation efforts of the binding exchange agreement, the Tribe included a gaming prohibition for the lands in H.R. 897.
I thank Dr. Raul Ruiz for his sponsorship of this bill and his hard work getting it to this point.
Madam Speaker, I urge swift adoption of H.R. 897, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 897, the Agua Caliente Land Exchange Fee to Trust Confirmation Act, would place approximately 2,560 acres of land owned by the Agua Caliente Tribe within the reservation into trust.
And I will agree with the gentlewoman from New Mexico. I have visited this area, and it is a beautiful area.
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians' reservation is located approximately 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles in and around Palm Springs, California, with nearly 11,000 acres of the reservation within the city limits of Palm Springs.
Originally established in 1876 by President Grant, the Tribe's reservation only encompassed 1\1/2\ acres. Today, the reservation is approximately 31,000 acres.
The lands in question were acquired through a land exchange with the Bureau of Land Management in 2018 pursuant to the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Act of 2000. H.R. 897 would allow the Bureau of Land Management exchange lands owned by the Tribe to be taken into trust and made part of the Tribe's reservation. Gaming pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act would be prohibited. The Tribe intends to use the land for conservation purposes. According to the Tribe, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains hold strong cultural and historical value to the Tribe.
I appreciate the work of the Tribe and the bill's sponsor to advance this legislation.
Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 897, as amended.
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. PERRY. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion are postponed.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 207
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