Political Quotes

“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.…”