Klamath Tribe Judgment Fund Repeal Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 314. This bill would repeal the Klamath Judgment Fund Act and direct the Secretary of the Interior to disburse to the Klamath Tribes the balance of any funds that were set aside for legal fees, administration, and per capita trust accounts.

The legislation will bring to a close the final distribution of judgments the Klamath Tribes received through the Indian Claims Commission for a wide variety of historical claims. These judgment funds were distributed primarily to individual Tribe members and their heirs because, at the time, Congress had rescinded Federal recognition of the Klamath Tribes before the judgments were finalized. The Klamath Tribes regained Federal recognition in 1986.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill affects approximately $600,000 remaining in the Klamath Judgment Fund for approximately 200 Tribal members or their next of kin that the Department of the Interior says it cannot locate.

The Klamath Tribes has requested that these remaining funds be transferred to the Tribe so that they may distribute the remaining funds to the Tribal elders still living, who were parties to the judgments.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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