Harry Reid: “I ask that the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs, Senator Campbell, engage in a brief colloquy…”

“I ask that the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs, Senator Campbell, engage in a brief colloquy regarding the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians Settlement Act of 2000. The purpose of this legislation is to provide for the settlement of issues and claims related to the trust lands of the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians of California. In June 1996, after decades of neglect and months of difficult negotiations, representatives of the United States, the Torres-Martinez Tribe, the Imperial Irrigation District, and the Coachella Valley Water District signed a settlement agreement that resolves their conflicting claims and provides for dismissal of litigation. Legislation necessary to ratify this settlement agreement and to authorize the Federal actions and appropriations necessary for its implementation was introduced in 1996. However, because provisions in the legislation dealing with the taking of after-acquired land into trust for purposes of gaming proved very controversial, the legislation never passed the Senate. It has taken this long to get to the point where the bill is again being considered by the Senate, and the bill is still controversial. The basic settlement provisions involve land and cash in return for dismissal of all claims with regard to the Torres-Martinez Tribe.…”