Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Equitable Compensation Amendments Act of 2007

Floor Speech

CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX TRIBE EQUITABLE COMPENSATION AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - May 07, 2007)

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 487) to amend the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Equitable Compensation Act to provide compensation to members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe for damage resulting from the Oahe Dam and Reservoir Project, and for other purposes.

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Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from California?

There was no objection.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I would like to commend my colleague from South Dakota, Representative Herseth Sandlin, for her very dedicated hard work and her persistence on this piece of legislation.

H.R. 487 makes several technical corrections to address inequities that surfaced after the enactment of the original Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Equitable Compensation Act of 2000. In short, this legislation provides for accelerated compensation for tribal members and landowners impacted by the construction of the Oahe Dam in 1962. It also satisfies a request from the administration to amend the underlying structure of the compensation fund.

H.R. 487 will assist the tribe in addressing this loss and help to ensure a positive future for the Cheyenne River Sioux.

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Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, we have no objection to this noncontroversial bill. I would like to thank my colleague on the other side and also, especially, the sponsor of the bill, Ms. Herseth Sandlin, for her very hard work and strong leadership.

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