{"id":17647,"date":"2021-11-02T11:48:03","date_gmt":"2021-11-02T15:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=17647"},"modified":"2021-11-02T11:48:03","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T15:48:03","slug":"h-r-1619-catawba-indian-nation-lands-act-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/02\/h-r-1619-catawba-indian-nation-lands-act-2\/","title":{"rendered":"H.R.1619 &#8211; Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act"},"content":{"rendered":"<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1152108784&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><div style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/indianz\" title=\"indianz\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener\">indianz<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/indianz\/hr1619-catawba-indian-nation-lands-act\" title=\"H.R.1619 - Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener\">H.R.1619 &#8211; Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act<\/a><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<pre>\r\nCATAWBA INDIAN NATION LANDS ACT\r\n\r\n  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and \r\npass the bill (H.R. 1619) to clarify the status of gaming conducted by \r\nthe Catawba Indian Nation, and for other purposes.\r\n  The Clerk read the title of the bill.\r\n  The text of the bill is as follows:\r\n\r\n                               H.R. 1619\r\n\r\n       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of \r\n     the United States of America in Congress assembled,\r\n\r\n     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.\r\n\r\n       This Act may be cited as the ``Catawba Indian Nation Lands \r\n     Act''.\r\n\r\n     SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF CURRENT LAW.\r\n\r\n       (a) Lands in South Carolina.--Section 14 of the Catawba \r\n     Indian Tribe of South Carolina Claims Settlement Act of 1993 \r\n     (Public Law 103-116) shall only apply to gaming conducted by \r\n     the Catawba Indian Nation on lands located in South Carolina.\r\n       (b) Lands in States Other Than South Carolina.--Gaming \r\n     conducted by the Catawba Indian Nation on lands located in \r\n     States other than South Carolina shall be subject to the \r\n     Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) and \r\n     sections 1166 through 1168 of title 18, United States Code.\r\n\r\n     SEC. 3. REAFFIRMATION OF STATUS AND ACTIONS.\r\n\r\n       (a) Ratification of Trust Status.--The action taken by the \r\n     Secretary on July 10, 2020, to place approximately 17 acres \r\n     of land located in Cleveland County, North Carolina, into \r\n     trust for the benefit of the Catawba Indian Nation is hereby \r\n     ratified and confirmed as if that action had been taken under \r\n     a Federal law specifically authorizing or directing that \r\n     action.\r\n       (b) Administration.--The land placed into trust for the \r\n     benefit of the Catawba Indian Nation by the Secretary on July \r\n     10, 2020, shall--\r\n       (1) be a part of the Catawba Reservation and administered \r\n     in accordance with the laws and regulations generally \r\n     applicable to land held in trust by the United States for an \r\n     Indian Tribe; and\r\n       (2) be deemed to have been acquired and taken into trust as \r\n     part of the restoration of lands for an Indian tribe that is \r\n     restored to Federal recognition pursuant to section \r\n     20(b)(1)(B)(iii) of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 \r\n     U.S.C. 2719(b)(1)(B)(iii)).\r\n       (c) Rules of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall--\r\n       (1) enlarge, impair, or otherwise affect any right or claim \r\n     of the Catawba Indian Nation to any land or interest in land \r\n     in existence before the date of the enactment of this Act;\r\n       (2) affect any water right of the Catawba Indian Nation in \r\n     existence before the date of the enactment of this Act;\r\n       (3) terminate or limit any access in any way to any right-\r\n     of-way or right-of-use issued, granted, or permitted before \r\n     the date of the enactment of this Act; or\r\n       (4) alter or diminish the right of the Catawba Indian \r\n     Nation to seek to have additional land taken into trust by \r\n     the United States for the benefit of the Catawba Indian \r\n     Nation.\r\n\r\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from \r\nNew Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. \r\nWesterman) each will control 20 minutes.\r\n  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New Mexico.\r\n\r\n\r\n                             General Leave\r\n\r\n  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all \r\nMembers may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their \r\nremarks and include extraneous material on the measure under \r\nconsideration.\r\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the \r\ngentlewoman from New Mexico?\r\n  There was no objection.\r\n  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may \r\nconsume.\r\n  Madam Speaker, today is the first day of the month that is dedicated \r\nto Native American heritage. As we all know, the United States' \r\nhistoric treatment of our indigenous governments and peoples is fraught \r\nwith genocide, displacement, termination, and attempts to eliminate \r\nNative American culture, language, and identity.\r\n  But as a Nation, we have also taken actions to remedy and to build \r\nback from that sad history. In 1934, Congress recognized that \r\ntermination was the wrong policy and passed the Indian Reorganization \r\nAct, which recognized Tribal governments and placed most remaining \r\nTribal land into trust. In 1975, we passed the Indian Self-\r\nDetermination Act, which allowed Tribes to reassert their sovereignty \r\nand jurisdiction over their own lands and programs intended to benefit \r\nthem, but the work is far from done.\r\n  Through bipartisan legislation we are debating today, and many other \r\nlegislative initiatives we will undertake this 117th Congress, we are \r\nfurthering Tribal recognition and reacquisition of Tribal homelands. We \r\nare strengthening the consultation requirements to provide better \r\nhealthcare to the 70 percent of Native Americans living in urban areas. \r\nIn the infrastructure bill and Build Back Better Act, we will have \r\nhistoric levels of funding for programs that meet the trust \r\nresponsibilities owed to Native Americans, promised to them as the \r\nUnited States entered into treaties and took over their historic lands.\r\n  Our work today declares that it is not enough to just acknowledge \r\nNative American heritage, we must also pass the legislation that \r\nprotects that heritage and strengthens Tribal sovereignty and self-\r\ndetermination.\r\n  Madam Speaker, I want to thank Majority Leader Hoyer for scheduling \r\nthese bills to be heard today as we begin Native American Heritage \r\nmonth. I especially want to thank Chairman Grijalva and Ranking Member \r\nWesterman for moving the bills through the Natural Resources Committee.\r\n  Madam Speaker, I wish to thank the sponsors of the bills and the \r\ncommittee staff who dedicate themselves to getting things done on \r\nbehalf of the indigenous peoples of our country.\r\n  Madam Speaker, I will turn to H.R. 1619. The Catawba Indian Nation \r\nLands Act, introduced by Representative Clyburn of South Carolina, will \r\nratify and confirm the Department of the Interior's decision to take \r\ninto trust 17 acres of land in Cleveland County, North Carolina, for \r\nthe benefit of the Catawba Indian Nation.\r\n  The Catawba Indian Nation is the only Federally-recognized Tribe in \r\nSouth Carolina, and its approximately 3,400 members reside primarily in \r\nthe Catawba River Valley. The current Catawba Reservation is made up of \r\nmultiple parcels of land in South Carolina, totaling about 700 acres.\r\n  To improve the Tribal economy and meet the needs of Tribal members, \r\nthe Catawba Nation petitioned the Department of the Interior to place \r\napproximately 17 acres of land, known as the Kings Mountain site, into \r\ntrust in Cleveland County, North Carolina, for gaming and other \r\npurposes.\r\n  On March 12, 2020, the Department of the Interior accepted the \r\nCatawba Indian Nation's request to transfer the land into trust. The \r\nDepartment's decision derived from the terms of the Catawba Indian \r\nTribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993, which ended \r\nthe Nation's fight against the State of South Carolina in its assertion \r\nof aboriginal land claims.\r\n  The Act not only restored the Federal trust relationship between the \r\nNation and the Federal Government, but it also contained various \r\nprovisions about the trust acquisition of land by the Secretary of the \r\nInterior, the use of such land for gaming, and the applicability of the \r\nIndian Gaming Regulatory Act.\r\n  Following the announcement of the Department of the Interior's \r\ndecision, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians filed a suit against it \r\nto block the Nation's plans to construct a casino complex at the Kings \r\nMountain site.\r\n  Among other assertions, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians claims \r\nthat the project will encroach upon its aboriginal territory. However, \r\nthe historical records demonstrate the Kings Mountain site is within \r\nthe aboriginal and historical lands of the Catawba Nation.\r\n  H.R. 1619 will thus reaffirm the Department of the Interior's \r\nrecognition of Catawba Indian Nation's historical and ancestral ties to \r\nthe lands in Kings Mountain and the Catawba Nation's right to conduct \r\ngaming operations on those lands under the terms of the Indian Gaming \r\nRegulatory Act.\r\n  The legislation will provide much-needed economic development \r\nopportunities to the Nation and the surrounding local communities.\r\n  Madam Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Clyburn for championing this \r\nbipartisan legislation, and I urge its quick adoption. I reserve the \r\nbalance of my time.\r\n  Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may \r\nconsume.\r\n  Madam Speaker, H.R. 1619 would ratify and reaffirm a March 2020 \r\ndecision by the Department of the Interior to place 17 acres of the \r\nland located in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, into trust for the \r\nCatawba Indian Nation.\r\n  In 1980, the Catawba Tribe filed a land claim for former Tribal land \r\nin South Carolina, but the agreement they entered with the State failed \r\nto provide a clear understanding as to where the Tribe may have lands \r\nheld in trust, what process is required, or whether the Indian Gaming \r\nRegulatory Act applies to the Catawba Nation.\r\n  By 1993, the Tribe and the State of South Carolina entered into an \r\nagreement to settle the lawsuit, and the South Carolina legislature \r\nenacted a law ratifying that agreement.\r\n  That same year, Congress ratified the settlement agreement by passing \r\nthe Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act \r\nand extinguished any other potential claims of the Catawba.\r\n  In exchange, the Catawba received $50 million, the restoration of \r\ntheir status as a Federally-recognized Tribe, and a streamlined process \r\nfor restoring its land base in South Carolina.\r\n  But confusion about the Tribe's land continued as it submitted an \r\napplication with the Department of the Interior to place land in \r\nCleveland County, North Carolina, acquired into trust to develop a \r\ncasino.\r\n  Even after the Department of the Interior approved the Catawba's \r\ntrust application, determining that the Tribe met the restored lands \r\nexemption under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, there were still \r\nambiguities that led to a challenge in court.\r\n  Madam Speaker, I hope that this bill will finally resolve the \r\nremaining issues and give the Catawba Tribe certainty about its land \r\nand the ways it can use it.\r\n  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.\r\n  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the \r\ngentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn).\r\n  Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to call upon this august \r\nbody for a favorable vote on H.R. 1619. That is a very interesting \r\nnumber for this legislation. This legislation is known as the Catawba \r\nIndian Nation Lands Act.\r\n  The Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act clarifies that the Catawba Indian \r\nNation is subject to the well-established rules and regulations of the \r\nIndian Gaming Regulatory Act on their modern and ancestral lands in the \r\nState of North Carolina.\r\n  This legislation will clarify the Tribe's 1993 Land Claims Settlement \r\nAct and reaffirm recent action taken by the Department of the Interior \r\nto take land into trust for the Tribe.\r\n  Most importantly, this bipartisan legislation is a very significant \r\nstep toward rectifying historic injustices that have been perpetrated \r\nagainst the Catawba Indian Nation.\r\n  Like, in many other instances of current effects of historical \r\ninequities, the Catawba Nation experiences high unemployment and \r\npoverty rates causing many of its citizens to rely upon Federal and \r\nState governments for basic social services.\r\n  The enactment of this legislation is critical to helping the Catawba \r\nIndian Nation secure economic self-sufficiency as Congress originally \r\nintended when it passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.\r\n  Madam Speaker, I respectfully ask my colleagues for a favorable vote \r\non this Act.\r\n  Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to \r\nthe gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Timmons).\r\n  Mr. TIMMONS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. \r\n1619, the Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act. I was proud to partner with \r\nthe majority whip, Mr. Clyburn, and several other of my colleagues from \r\nNorth and South Carolina in introducing this legislation.\r\n  This bill is straightforward. It would simply codify action taken by \r\nPresident Trump's Department of the Interior last year, granting 17 \r\nacres of the Catawba Indian Nation's ancestral lands into trust for the \r\nTribe.\r\n  This action by the Interior Department has been held up needlessly in \r\nthe Federal court system, although the only decisions so far have been \r\nheld in favor of the Catawbas. This bill would cut short that process \r\nand confirm the ability for the Catawba Indian Nation to move forward \r\nwith their plans for this piece of land which, I would note again, is \r\nmost certainly within the borders of their ancestral homelands.\r\n  This piece of land will be critical in providing economic opportunity \r\nfor a community that suffers from above-average unemployment and \r\npoverty rates. This will enable self-sufficiency and reduce the need \r\nfor members of the Catawba population to rely on Federal and State \r\ngovernments for basic social services.\r\n  This step has been many years in the making, and I am glad to have \r\nplayed a small part in getting it done. I would also like to thank our \r\npartners in the Senate, Senators Graham, Tillis, and Burr for \r\nspearheading this effort in their body. Hopefully, we can get this \r\nimportant piece of legislation to the President's desk in short order.\r\n  Madam Speaker, in closing, I would like to ask my colleagues to join \r\nme in support of this bill. It is bipartisan, it is common sense, and \r\nit will very much help the 3,400 members of the Catawba Nation in North \r\nand South Carolina live more prosperous lives.\r\n  Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.\r\n  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the \r\ngentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield).\r\n  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Madam Speaker, let me first thank Congresswoman \r\nLeger Fernandez for her friendship and leadership, and thank her for \r\nyielding time to me this afternoon.\r\n  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1619, the Catawba Indian \r\nNation Lands Act.\r\n  A few moments ago, Congressman Clyburn made reference to the fact \r\nthat 1619 was a very significant number. What he was referring to, \r\nMadam Speaker, was that it was the year 1619 that the first slaves \r\narrived in America--the first African slaves, I might say, arrived in \r\nAmerica.\r\n  It is very interesting that this bill bears that number, but I am in \r\nfull support of this legislation.\r\n  Madam Speaker, this is good, bipartisan legislation. You can see that \r\nit has support on both sides of the aisle. It will ratify actions taken \r\nby the Department of the Interior that placed 17 acres of land in North \r\nCarolina that are within the Catawba's service area, as defined by \r\nCongress in 1993, that land was placed into trust for the benefit of \r\nthe Tribe.\r\n  This bill would enable the Catawba Indian Nation to secure economic \r\nself-sufficiency as envisioned by Congress in passing the Indian Gaming \r\nRegulatory Act of 1987. It will generate millions of dollars in \r\neconomic development and create thousands of jobs in North Carolina, \r\nwhere few jobs currently exist.\r\n  That, Madam Speaker, is why I have such a deep interest in this \r\nlegislation, because of the economic impact.\r\n  The Catawba Nation has already signed an agreement. I need to make\r\nsure the record is clear about that. The Catawba Nation has already \r\nsigned an agreement with our Governor, Governor Roy Cooper, and they \r\nhave the support of the local community.\r\n  Madam Speaker, I respectfully urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on \r\nthis important legislation.\r\n  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my \r\ntime.\r\n  Madam Speaker, I think that we have heard today about the importance \r\nof how we are, in essence, making history by undoing a little bit of \r\nthe unfortunate history of the United States. This small parcel of \r\nland, which will be taken into trust, will yield significant benefits \r\nfor the Tribe.\r\n  I do appreciate the fact that, like all the legislation we are \r\nconsidering today, it is bipartisan and that all of those who are \r\nsupporting it recognize the benefits that it will bring to the Catawba \r\nNation.\r\n  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I \r\nyield back the balance of my time.\r\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the \r\ngentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez) that the House \r\nsuspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1619.\r\n  The question was taken.\r\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds \r\nbeing in the affirmative, the ayes have it.\r\n  Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.\r\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution \r\n8, the yeas and nays are ordered.\r\n  Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion \r\nare postponed.\r\n<\/pre>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The U.S. House of Representatives considers H.R.1619, the Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act, on November 1, 2021.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17652,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-pin.php","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[340,67,20,13,1,14],"tags":[1170,183,2145,733,1604,73,2143,476,186,184,185,1168,2144],"class_list":["post-17647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-audio","category-indian-gaming","category-indian-trust","category-law","category-national","category-politics","tag-bruce-westerman","tag-catawba","tag-chip-roy","tag-gk-butterfield","tag-h-r-1619","tag-igra","tag-jim-clyburn","tag-land-claims","tag-land-into-trust","tag-north-carolina","tag-south-carolina","tag-teresa-leger-fernandez","tag-williams-timmons","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/02\/hr1619square.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-4AD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}