Jared Huffman: “This amendment is simple. It reflects a bill that passed the House earlier this year in March by a vote of 404- 21. I…”

“This amendment is simple. It reflects a bill that passed the House earlier this year in March by a vote of 404- 21. I first introduced this bill in the 114th Congress. It was heard by the Natural Resources Committee, reported out favorably by unanimous consent. It was then reintroduced in the next Congress by my colleague Representative Jeff Denham, and it passed the House by voice vote. Then it was reported by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in October of 2018. The bill was reintroduced again by me this Congress, and after passage in this House, it once again was reported out favorably from the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs just a few weeks ago. This amendment would take land owned by the Lytton Rancheria in Sonoma County in my district into trust as part of the Tribe's reservation for purposes of housing and economic development. It would permanently prohibit using these lands for casino gaming, and it would uphold a memorandum of understanding carefully negotiated between the Tribe and the County of Sonoma. It reflects an exhaustive stakeholder outreach process, extensive meetings, and negotiations between the Tribe, Sonoma County, and other local governments. This productive relationship is illustrated by support from the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, who have jurisdiction over the land in question, and also the nearest local public service agencies, including the Windsor Fire Protection District and Windsor Unified School District.…”