Political Quotes

“today I rise to introduce a bill that will address a cumbersome and time consuming process in place under existing law within the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This piece of legislation will streamline the land acquisition process for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. The current process for taking land into trust is simply not working, and I believe there are changes that need to be made in the existing process. I am pleased to be joined by Senator Merkley in this effort. I want to note that I introduced similar legislation last Congress that was stalled at the Committee level due to certain language in that bill--language that, at the time, we thought was needed but found later was unnecessary and was preventing the bill from moving forward. In the bill I am introducing today, I took that language out to resolve the needs of the various stakeholders and to ensure the bill has a chance to pass the Committee and be signed into law. The original Siletz Coastal Treaty Reservation, established by the Executive Order on November 9, 1855, was diminished and then eliminated by the Federal Government's allotment and termination policies. Tribal members and the tribal government have worked to rebuild the Siletz community since the Western Oregon Termination Act of August 1954 stripped the Siletz people of Federal tribal recognition. Since then the tribe has been struggling to rebuild its land base.…”