Daniel Inouye: “As vice chairman of the authorizing committee of jurisdiction, I call upon my colleague from Florida to allow this…”

“As vice chairman of the authorizing committee of jurisdiction, I call upon my colleague from Florida to allow this settlement to have the benefit of a hearing in the committee. In the absence of a hearing in the Senate, there will be absolutely no legislative history associated with the action that the Senate would be taking in approving this settlement. I know of no other Indian settlement that has been ratified without full consideration in the authorizing committees. As you well know, the Congress is vested with plenary authority in the field of Indian affairs. We have always taken our responsibilities in this area very seriously--and I believe that it is incumbent upon us to have the benefit of a record upon which we can base a ratification of this settlement agreement. If the hearing schedule that the chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs has established is full, I would be pleased to chair a hearing on this settlement in the very near future, and you can be assured of my personal commitment that committee action on the settlement will be expedited. With these commitments in mind, I ask the Senator from Florida to withdraw his amendment and allow the authorizing committee to do its work.”