Bruce Westerman

Not analysed yet

A requested analysis is usually ready within half an hour; come back to this page or reload it.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. S. 550, introduced by then-Senator Mullin and championed by Chairman Cole in this Chamber provides a narrow pathway for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma to bring its treaty-based land claim related to certain lands in Illinois before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Now located in Oklahoma, the Tribe was originally based in the Great Lakes and Midwest region. The 1805 Treaty of Grouseland recognized the Miami Tribe's title to lands in the Wabash River watershed and ensured that the U.S. would not purchase portions of that territory without Tribal consent. In the decades that followed, additional treaties and Federal policies led to the large-scale cessions of the Tribe's land, including their historic homelands in Illinois. These lands are central to this legislation, as they were later patented to non-Native settlers without properly extinguishing Tribal title. This forms the basis of the Tribe's treaty-based claim. Congress enacted the Indian Claims Commission Act of 1946, which established the Indian Claims Commission, or ICC, to provide a forum for Tribes seeking monetary compensation for claims against the U.S. that predated August 13, 1946. The ICC did not restore land. Rather, it awarded monetary damages based on the land's value at the time of the taking. At the time of the ICC, the Miami Tribe preferred the return of the land in Illinois over cash awards. The Indian Claims Commission Act of 1946 required all claims to be filed within 5 years of enactment and barred late claims from being filed. The ICC ceased operations in 1978, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims assumed all remaining matters. This legislation provides a narrow jurisdictional pathway for the Miami Tribe to bring its treaty-based land claim before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims within 1 year of the enactment of this legislation. This legislation only authorizes monetary relief against the U.S. and precludes any equitable relief or recovery against private landowners. Finally, this legislation extinguishes the Tribe's remaining land and title claims to the specified Illinois lands. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Cole for being a long-time champion of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.