Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 314, the Klamath Tribe Judgment Fund Repeal Act, introduced by Senator Merkley of Oregon. Our colleague, Representative Schrader of Oregon, has the House companion to this legislation. This bill will provide long-awaited relief to the Klamath Tribes by restoring the Tribe's self-governance over the management of its own judgment funds. Like many tribes, the Klamath Tribes were terminated by Congress in the 1950s--in their case, through passage of the Klamath Termination Act. In addition to termination, the legislation established procedures for the sale of reservation land belonging to Tribal members. At the time, the Tribe was required to submit to the Secretary of the Interior a final roll call of Tribal members. The final roll call was eventually used to settle the Tribe's ongoing Indian Claims Commission suits under the Klamath Tribe Judgment Fund Act. Fortunately, in 1986, the Klamath Tribes' Federal trust relationship with the United States was restored. However, the judgment fund did not account for this restoration and limited the ability of the Tribe to settle any outlying claims. Today, the Klamath Tribes have no ability to determine how Tribal funds can be allocated to Tribal members or other Tribal priorities. This goes against Tribal sovereignty and is a violation of the authorities upheld by Federal recognition. S.…”