Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 4867 authorizes an acre-for-acre land exchange between the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and a non-Indian landowner to resolve a land use and access dispute. Under the exchange, the private landowner would transfer clear title to a 41-acre parcel of land he currently owns within the Morongo Reservation, which is located in the State of California, to the Secretary of the Interior, who would then hold the land in trust for the benefit of the tribe. The Secretary would simultaneously transfer to the private landowner clear title to a 41-acre parcel of the tribe's trust land on the edge of the reservation, affording reasonable access for his economic use of the property. The bill additionally authorizes conveyances of easements by the tribe and the city of Banning to address certain city and tribal needs. The Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs held a hearing on H.R. 4867, which was followed by Natural Resources Committee approval by unanimous consent. This legislation is noncontroversial, and I urge the House to pass this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.”