The California Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization will hold a hearing next week on a bill that bars state agencies from opposing certain land-into-trust applications.

Senate Bill 162 encourages state agencies to consult with tribes on economic development issues. As part of that goal, it bars opposition to land-into-trust applications for "housing, environmental protection, or cultural preservation" purposes.

The bill has drawn complaints from an anti-Indian critic, who says it undermines the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar, which restricts the land-into-trust process to tribes that were "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934. The critic says state agencies won't be allowed to question whether certain tribes can acquire land in trust.

The hearing takes place at 1:30pm on Wednesday, June 20.

Get the Story:
Assemblyman opposes tribal annexation bill (The Santa Maria Times 6/14)
Bill would hush state officials' opposition to tribal fee-to-trust (The Santa Maria Times 6/14)

Related Stories:
Opinion: Bill silences California for land-into-trust applications (6/11)
Editorial: Put California land-into-trust bill back into the grinder (6/7)
California bill bars state opposition to certain land-into-trust bids (6/1)