Description:
H.R. 1722 would revise the tribal land claims of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community in Oregon that were extinguished by the Grand Ronde Reservation Act. That act authorized the Department of the Interior (DOI) to provide 240 acres of land to the tribes. In exchange, the tribes relinquished their right to pursue claims to all other land within the state. H.R. 1722 would lower the amount of relinquished land to a specific 84-acre parcel, which would allow the tribes to acquire additional land in Oregon to which they have a valid claim. Using information from DOI, CBO estimates that the agency would incur insignificant administrative costs to update documents related to the affected land. Any spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. H.R. 1722 would impose an intergovernmental mandate—as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)—on the confederated tribes by prohibiting gaming on tribal land in Oregon. That prohibition would apply to land obtained by the tribe in a land claim settlement or purchased with funds from a settlement. Because gaming on such land is currently allowed under federal law, the proposed ban would be a mandate. However, because gaming does not occur now on the tribal land and the tribes have no plans to begin gaming activities on those lands, the cost of the mandate would be small and below the threshold established in UMRA ($99 million in 2023, adjusted annually for inflation).
