Harriet Hageman

Ms. HAGEMAN

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4389, as amended, the bill now under consideration.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4389, sponsored by Congresswoman Salazar from Florida. This legislation reauthorizes the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, which includes a grant program and research efforts designed to help conserve nearly 400 different species of birds that migrate between North America in the summer months and Latin America and the Caribbean in the winter months. Protecting the habitat of these species is not only a good conservation policy but also good for economic activity. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study found that roughly 96 million people participated in bird-watching activities, including maintaining habitat to benefit bird species. This includes individuals who participate in these activities in their local communities and those who travel to do so. Encouraging habitat conservation efforts, such as those reauthorized by this bill, is a win for the environment, recreational activity, and local economies. I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Salazar) for her leadership on this important issue. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Salazar).

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing. Many of us in this Chamber come from communities where being outdoors is part of our way of life and communities with vibrant ecosystems, particularly in places that serve as a home for migratory species. We know that habitat conservation is critical to their long-term health. H.R. 4389 will help further conservation efforts by providing resources to those who are dedicated to advancing habitat restoration efforts and encouraging collaborative research efforts. I thank Ms. Salazar once again for her leadership in reauthorizing this program, and I ask my colleagues to support this effort. I urge adoption of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HAGEMAN

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1246) to authorize leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for federally recognized Indian Tribes.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 1246, the bill now under consideration.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, my bill, H.R. 1246, would amend the Long-Term Leasing Act to authorize any federally recognized Indian Tribe to lease land held in trust for the Tribe's benefit for up to and including 99 years, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior. In 1955, Congress passed the Long-Term Leasing Act, which authorized the Tribal owners to lease any lands held in trust for the benefit of the Tribes for nongrazing purposes, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, for only up to 25 years. Any nongrazing lease could be renewed up to one additional term of 25 years for a total of 50 years. The restriction on the length of time a Tribe can lease their land can have a negative impact on a Tribe's ability to negotiate long-term commercial leases and, subsequently, a Tribe's economic development opportunities. Congress has amended the Long-Term Leasing Act more than 50 times to adjust the terms and conditions of leases of Tribal lands and authorize specific Tribes or Tribal lands to lease for a term of up to 99 years, subject to approval of the Secretary of the Interior. This legislation would put a stop to Tribes having to rely on Congress to pass specific legislation so that they can enter into long- term leases should they choose to do so. H.R. 1246 would proactively extend leasing authority to all federally recognized Tribes while providing a more expedited path forward for economic development. This is commonsense legislation that will benefit Tribes long into the future. Mr. Speaker, I encourage adoption of the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, my legislation would promote economic development for Tribes by ensuring that they are on the same playing field as other landowners who can enter into long-term leases on their land. This legislation is a proactive step to support Tribes and their ability to create and pursue economic opportunity. As the chairman of the Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee, I do and will continue to advocate for commonsense solutions for our Indian Tribes. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HAGEMAN

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6443) to take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Jamul Indian Village of California Tribe, and for other purposes.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 6443, the bill now under consideration.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6443, the Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act, would place 172.1 acres of land owned in fee simple by the Jamul Indian Village into trust by the United States for the benefit of the Tribe. The Jamul Indian Village is located in San Diego County and is part of the Kumeyaay people of southern California, otherwise known as the Mission Indians. While the Tribe's history dates back 12,000 years, it only received Federal recognition in 1981. The Tribe's reservation consists of approximately 6.04 acres, but the Tribe has continued to work to restore its land base. Unfortunately, bureaucratic inefficiencies have delayed the process. The Tribe has submitted fee-to-trust applications for the parcels identified in this legislation, including one submitted in August 2015 that the Department of the Interior has not yet finalized. This legislation would end that bureaucratic delay and place these parcels into trust. The legislation also would prohibit any class II or class III gaming pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act from occurring on the parcels to be placed into trust. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) for his work on this bill. I encourage the adoption of the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I am prepared to close. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, this legislation would take approximately 172.1 acres of land owned in fee simple by the Jamul Indian Village into trust by the United States for the benefit of this Tribe. I thank Mr. Issa for his work on this legislation to benefit his constituents. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HAGEMAN

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 382) to take certain land in the State of Washington into trust for the benefit of the Puyallup Tribe of the Puyallup Reservation, and for other purposes.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 382, the bill now under consideration.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 382, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Land Into Trust Confirmation Act, would place approximately 17 acres of land in Pierce County, Washington, into trust for the Tribe. The land in question is currently owned by the Tribe in fee simple, and the Tribe intends to use the land for economic development purposes to benefit the Tribe and the surrounding area. The parcels contain evidence of environmental contamination, which complicates the process by which the Bureau of Indian Affairs would take land into trust through the administrative fee-to-trust process. Under an administrative process, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or BIA, would require full land remediation before the process even begins. This would be cost prohibitive for the Tribe and unnecessary given the Tribe's intended use of the land as a shipping terminal and transportation facility. Additionally, S. 382 makes clear that the United States is not liable for any environmental contamination on the land and includes a prohibition on gaming pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, this legislation would take approximately 17 acres of fee land in Pierce County, Washington, into trust for the benefit of the Puyallup Tribe to support the development of a 21st century shipping and transportation facility. I thank the sponsors of this legislation for their work on behalf of their constituents. I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Ms. HAGEMAN

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, this bill provides recognition to a museum that is a source of local pride without draining taxpayer resources or increasing the burden on the National Park Service. I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HAGEMAN

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1792) to amend the South Pacific Tuna Act of 1988, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1792, as amended, the bill now under consideration.

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1792, the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Act of 2023, sponsored by Mrs. Radewagen of American Samoa. This legislation would make critical updates to the South Pacific Tuna Treaty, consistent with amendments that were agreed to between the United States and the 16 Pacific Island parties in 2016 and ratified by the Senate in 2022. The amendments will provide the United States fishing vessels with greater clarity about the areas that they can access in the parties' exclusive economic zones. This relationship gives the United States access to an abundant fishing resource while strengthening our presence in the region. Despite the importance of this treaty, the recent amendments are not self- executing. This has led to conflicts between our domestic regulatory regime and the treaty structure. Making the necessary changes in the statute to allow the United States and its regulatory agencies to fully implement the treaty amendments will ensure that they are carried out effectively. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mrs. Radewagen, for her leadership on this important issue and urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.