Raúl Grijalva

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent that my amendment be modified in the form that I have placed at the desk.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Chair, the underlying bill will provide a historic extension of Tribal jurisdiction and ensure that more Native people receive the proper legal protections against people who commit violence toward them. Unfortunately, during the historic passage of the 2013 Violence Against Women reauthorization, the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe quickly realized the cost of implementing this important provision was pricey. Cost concerns about implementing Tribal jurisdiction are generally related to incarceration, healthcare, and jury selection. Further, a National Congress of American Indians report found that there are multiple implementation costs related to incarceration, healthcare, code development, law enforcement, and prosecutors. This hinders some Tribes from implementing the most important provisions related to the Violence Against Women Act. Unlike States, Tribes do not have the ability to tax for the costs related to implementing these important provisions that protect its people. With the support of Representative Kildee, who represents the area of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe, the amendment I am offering will help alleviate the costs Tribes will incur due to the expanded criminal jurisdiction provision. This amendment would authorize the Department of Justice to reimburse Tribes that incur costs related to arrest, indigent defense services, and rehabilitation services. Further, this amendment provides language allowing DOJ to award grants to improve their law enforcement, detention and correctional facilities, culturally appropriate services, and criminal code development. I urge my colleagues to protect Indian Country from violence and support this amendment that will ease the costs incurred by Tribes for implementing this historic bill. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 297 will extend Federal recognition to the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana. Federal recognition of Native American Tribes is critical to protecting their tribal sovereignty and restoring a tribe's ability to control its land, its water, and its resources, as well as the ability to govern and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its members. The Little Shell Tribe has resided in Montana for well over a century and has long been recognized as a tribe by the State of Montana. The Little Shell Tribe is a political successor to the signatories of the Pembina Treaty of 1863, under which a large area of the land in the State of North Dakota was ceded to the United States. While the Federal Government has federally recognized the two other Tribes that are successors to the signatories of the treaty, the Little Shell have inexplicably been left in limbo. The Little Shell Tribe has repeatedly petitioned the Federal Government for Federal recognition, first in the 1930s and 1940s under the Indian Reorganization Act, and later, starting in 1978, through the Department of the Interior's recognition process. However, despite their long and well-documented history, they were deprived of their rightful Federal recognition each time. H.R. 297 finally extends recognition to the Little Shell Tribe, making all Federal laws and regulations of general applicability to Indians and Indian Tribes applicable to Little Shell and its members. Federal recognition of the Little Shell Tribe enjoys broad support in Montana, including support from the Governor's office, the Montana State Legislature, the surrounding counties and cities, and from all the other federally recognized Montana Tribes. Recognition of the Little Shell is long overdue. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 297, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I want to extend our appreciation for his work to the sponsor of the legislation. It passed unanimously, as he indicated, and there is no reason why we can't do that again today. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 297) to extend the Federal recognition to the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana, and for other purposes.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1388) to take lands in Sonoma County, California, into trust as part of the reservation of the Lytton Rancheria of California, and for other purposes.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Along with dozens of other California Tribes, the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians had its relationship with the Federal Government terminated in 1958, resulting in the loss of its Federal status and all of its Tribal lands. The Tribe's federally recognized status was eventually restored, but its reservation lands were not. As a result, with the exception of a small parcel of land that Congress provided for gaming in San Pablo, the Tribe has been left essentially landless and without a reservation since it was terminated. H.R. 1388 will address that issue by taking approximately 511 acres in Sonoma County, California, into trust as part of the reservation of the Lytton Rancheria. On 124 acres of the land, the Tribe plans to build housing for its members, as well as governmental and community facilities. Another portion of the land is currently being used for viniculture, and the Tribe intends to develop more of the lands for the same purpose. In response to local concerns, the Tribe has agreed that the lands will not be used for gaming. This is provided in the text of the legislation as well as in a binding memorandum of agreement with the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. In addition to the memorandum of agreement with the County of Sonoma, the Tribe has also entered into agreements with the local school district and the local fire department. Additionally, the Tribe is working with the city of Windsor to ensure appropriate water and sewer hookup. By directing that these lands be taken into trust, the United States will ensure that the Lytton Rancheria will finally have a permanently protected homeland on which they can once again live as a community and plan for the future. An identical bill passed the House last Congress by voice vote, and I urge quick adoption of this legislation as well. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Chairman, I urge support for the underlying legislation, H.R. 1, which in my mind reaffirms the right to vote and empowers the individual citizens in our democracy and empowers their role in our democracy over the wealthy special interests that has been the trend as of late. My amendment asks that in the spirit of this bill, which is to protect voting rights, that we protect Americans who opt to vote by mail from unnecessary impediments to voting. Specifically, this amendment requires States to provide voters with an opportunity to return ballots at a polling place on election day. At its face value, this might not seem like a drastic ask, but it merits consideration, granted efforts by States to shortchange eligible voters from casting their ballot by denying them the right to return the ballot on election day. In Arizona, about 228,000 people dropped off their ballots at the polling places on election day in November of this general election, a majority of which, I should add, were Republican voters. The reason why I believe that my amendment should be supported is to protect the vote-by-mail process. In 2016, 16 States showed a combined percentage of greater than 50 percent of votes cast early, by mail, or via absentee ballots, including my State of Arizona. As more Americans chose to vote by mail, lawmakers in this Chamber should facilitate rather than hinder the right to vote by mail. Voting by mail allows voters to take their time examining and researching the candidates and issues that align with their values, thus making that very important informed decision on election day. That only strengthens our democracy and empowers that individual voter. Voting by mail also allows voters not to be constrained by work, school, family, or other sensitive matters that would hinder their ability to wait at polling places for long periods of time. As you well know, other portions of this legislation outline and address the issue of forcing voters to wait hours to cast their ballots, which is unacceptable. Voting by mail can help reduce these incidents and provide more options that are considerate of a person's lifestyle or their particular needs. Vote by mail helps alleviate under-resourced, consolidated, or distant polling places from having an influx of voters on election day. By ensuring that all polling sites accept vote-by-mail ballots on election day, voters' confidence in the electoral process, I believe, is upheld. Vote by mail is intended to increase voter participation during non-Presidential election years which tend to have overall lower voter turnout rates. The scope of this legislation is to promote and protect the right to vote that every American citizen is entitled to. For many constituents, voting by mail is the most practical and convenient method to exercise that right. With ongoing efforts at all levels of governance to restrict voting, now more than ever it is important to ensure that regardless of voting in person or by mail that that vote is cast, processed, tabulated, and accepted as valid. Madam Chair, I would hope that you would join me in ensuring States are not able to place harmful restrictions on voters. States should continue to do their due diligence and protect voters by allowing them to return their ballots on election day. Anything less would be a direct attack on voters' rights and would disenfranchise a growing percentage of nontraditional voters across this Nation. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. GRIJALVA. I think there have been efforts in my home State to begin to restrict the use of election day dropping off of vote-by-mail forms and other discussions, and this is both a preventive and encouraging amendment that prevents any of those actions, and more importantly, to encourage States to apply that fairly.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes), who is the author and leader of the legislation, H.R. 1.

Mr. GRIJALVA. I yield myself the remainder of my time, Madam Chair. I would remind everybody that this amendment provides the States with flexibility. It is providing convenience, as my colleague mentioned, and as a preventive tool, and no prohibition on voters returning mail ballots would actually occur or slow down the process. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Mrs. Trahan).

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Schrader).

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell), a member of the Natural Resources Committee.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Haaland), chair of the National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee on the Natural Resources Committee.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lowenthal), chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources of the Committee on Natural Resources.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse), a member of the Committee on Natural Resources.

Mr. GRIJALVA. I yield the gentlewoman from Michigan an additional 30 seconds.