Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Land Into Trust

Floor Speech

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Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3079) to take certain Federal land located in Tuolumne County, California, into trust for the benefit of the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 3079

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. LAND INTO TRUST.

(a) Federal Land.--Subject to valid existing rights, all right, title, and interest (including improvements and appurtenances) of the United States in and to the Federal land described in subsection (b) shall be held in trust by the United States for the benefit of the Tuolumne Band of Me- Wuk Indians for nongaming purposes.

(b) Land Description.--The land taken into trust under subsection (a) is the approximately 80 acres of Federal land under the administrative jurisdiction of the United States Forest Service, located in Tuolumne County, California, and described as follows:

(1) Southwest 1/4 of Southwest 1/4 of Section 2, Township 1 North, Range 16 East.

(2) Northeast 1/4 of Northwest 1/4 of Section 11, Township 1 North, Range 16 East of the Mount Diablo Meridian.

(c) Gaming.--Class II and class III gaming (as those terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2703)) shall not be permitted at any time on the land taken into trust under subsection (a).

I want to salute the fine work during this Congress and previous Congresses of the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).

I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 3079. The tribe intends to incorporate the 80 acres into what is commonly referred to as the ``Murphy Ranch,'' as the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa) just indicated, and to designate the land as part of the tribe's 2013 permanent conservation area.

Once again, we have Californians coming together in a bipartisan way to do the right thing for their State. Nobody knows better than the people of their own State how best to manage their State.

I think this evening's debates are an example of people coming together to do the right thing on a bipartisan basis for their State. This is how Congress should work. This is how Congress can work.

Mr. Speaker, I want to salute my colleague, chairman of the Federal Lands Subcommittee, Mr. Tom McClintock, for all of his important work on this piece of legislation and other pieces of legislation. As I leave Congress, I am delighted to entrust the future of this Nation's lands and water and air to the gentleman with whom I have been having these conversations tonight and debating these very bipartisan bills, practical commonsense approaches, just what the American people want to see more of in this Congress.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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