Politics

House backs Indian measures amid Senate inaction

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

With lawmakers headed for a one-month break at the end of the week, the House quickly passed seven Indian bills on Monday.

In less than 10 minutes, the House approved the bills by unanimous consent, meaning no lawmakers objected. All were considered non-controversial and had received unanimous support from the House Natural Resources Committee.

But six of the measures face an uncertain future in the Senate, where Republicans have blocked nearly every piece of Indian legislation since the start of the 110th Congress in January. Everything from methamaphetamine funding to federal recognition to a critical amendment to the Adam Walsh Act has been put on hold by a small group of GOP senators.

Only one bill has managed to clear both the Senate and the House. That measure happens to be sponsored by a Republican from Oregon, a state where the White House and the Republican Party have focused some of their political attention.

The inaction prompted the National Congress of American Indians, a non-partisan organization, to criticize the Senate Republican Steering Committee for "obstructionism." The nation's largest inter-tribal organization named Sens. James DeMint (R-South Carolina), John Kyl (R-Arizona), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) as the culprits behind the campaign.

"It's time for the Senate Republican Steering Committee to do its part and allow tribes to take responsibility for issues affecting them," NCAI President Joe Garcia said in a statement on Friday. "The committee just doesn't seem to be well informed on Indian Country issues."

The call will be put to the test with the six measures that are being sent to the Senate for consideration. In particular, Kyl and Cornyn have to answer to two bills that benefit tribes in their states.

A third measure benefiting two tribes in Oregon addresses the same issue as the bill already passed by the Senate. It is being sponsored by the same Republican senator.

The Arizona measure helps the Cocopah Tribe. H.R. 673 directs the Interior Department to acquire 423 acres in trust for the tribe.

"Taking these lands into trust for the tribe will allow for economic development, planning and tribal self-governance," said Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona), the bill's sponsor. The tribe will not be able to engage in gaming on the land. Kyl has not stated his position.

The Texas bill, H.R.1696 benefits the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe and the Tigua Tribe by allowing them to set their own membership criteria. When Cornyn was the state's attorney general, he filed a lawsuit to shut down the casinos operated by the tribes.

In Oregon, H.R.2683 helps the Coquille Tribe develop some of its land for a major retail and office space project. It is nearly identical in subject matter to S.375, which helps the Grand Ronde Tribes and the Siletz Tribes develop land they jointly own.

S.375, which is sponsored by Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Oregon), a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, passed the Senate in May by unanimous consent. The House's action yesterday clears it for President Bush's signature.

Another measure, H.R.2963 helps the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians in California preserve some of its ancestral territory currently held by the Bureau of Land Management. The bill, which is sponsored by a Republican, states the land "may be used only for the protection, preservation, and maintenance of the archaeological, cultural, and wildlife resources" but doesn't outright mention a gaming prohibition.

H.R.2120 is another land-into-trust measure. It ensures the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan can use land that is already held in trust for gaming.

Finally, H.R.2952 allows the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan to sell certain lands that are not held in trust and to use certain lands that are not held in trust for investment purposes. The bill is similar to the Oregon measures.

Relevant Links:
National Congress of American Indians - http://www.ncai.org
Senate Republican Conference - http://src.senate.gov