Raúl Grijalva

Some units of local governments that are already fairly well off receive large PILT payments while some areas that have very limited resources do not receive as much.

What we must not do is cut PILT and then use that cut as an excuse to degrade our environmental safeguards on public lands.

If programs like PILT and Secure Rural Schools are truly vital to our rural communities throughout the West, then we must find ways to fully fund them.

I am worried that history is about to repeat itself with the Republican Majority either allowing PILT to expire or targeting the program for significant cuts in funding.

Why did BP decide to save money rather than lives?

Rather than focusing on getting Americans back to work, the majority is stubbornly continuing their ideological war against workers and their unions.

Its singular goal is to delay, and openly prevent, union representation elections.

We should, however, be certain about one thing. Working families are hurting through no fault of their own, and need this Congress to take action to create jobs.

The fact that gaming is central to the debate doesn't take away my concern about the legal precedent that is being set here.

We have an existing settlement here. We have a piece of legislation that undoes that settlement. And that is the fundamental difference.

I think, to the point that was made regarding other land settlements that have the prohibition, the two that I worked on have been in cooperation and consultation with the tribes.

I think the Governor made some good comments in his testimony about that nowhere in the Land Replacement Act does the O'odham Nation have the right to game on its lands placed into trust under the Land Replacement Act, let alone outside…

If I may, Mr. Chairman, ask unanimous consent to enter into the record letters in opposition to the legislation, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, San Carlos Apache Tribe.

Tribal leaders will make a good-faith effort to notify other tribal leaders if they believe that they cannot abide by this agreement.

The tribal leaders' first priority is to protect the interests, sovereignty, and right to self-determination of their individual Indian Nations.

H.R. 2938 is nothing more than special-interest legislation designed to protect the market interests of a few, at the expense of the greater good of many.

Enactment of H.R. 2938 would have a real negative effect on the Nation and its people.

Enactment of H.R. 2938 would create a very ugly precedent.

Our opponents say that the Lands Replacement Act could not have been intended to allow use of our replacement lands for gaming. But this is just not true.

I would suggest that the prudent and the wise route to go is to let the process run its course, and let those decisions be made without jeopardizing not only the relations in the State among people, but more importantly, setting precedents…

The precedent issue continues to be one, Mr. Chairman. And while the settlement issue has to be, has to go through its process, this legislation I think is going to open up a box both of litigation, and inevitably, if the concern is about…

Land taken intro trust for the benefit of the Tribe under this Act shall not be used for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

And Congress was considering legislation to regulate Indian gaming generally, and to prohibit gaming on newly acquired lands, prior to and during 1986?

I think the Chairman made an excellent point about the will of Congress and the role of Congress.

I have no questions for my good friend from Arizona, other than, Mr. Chairman, to inject into the record Section 3[j] of the Arizona compact...