{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://salinas.house.gov/media/press-releases/salinas-bill-amend-grand-ronde-reservation-act-passes-senate-will-become-law", "Salinas Bill to Amend Grand Ronde Reservation Act Passes Senate, Will Become Law", "2023-12-20", "2023", "2023-12", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Andrea Salinas", "S001226", "salinas.house.gov", "salinas", "https://salinas.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) announced her legislation with U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) to amend the Grand Ronde Reservation Act, which restores the right to pursue land claims and compensation for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, has cleared both chambers of Congress. The legislation now heads to President Biden to be signed into law.\n\nThe bill was first introduced by Rep. Salinas in March as her first piece of legislation, and she ensured it passed the U.S. House of Representatives early last month. Senator Merkley has long championed the bill with success in the Senate, where it passed this week with unanimous support. The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Val Hoyle (OR-04), and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05), as well as U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\n\u201cI am deeply proud that my amendment to the Grand Ronde Reservation Act has passed the Senate and will soon become law. This is a historic moment not only for the Grand Ronde Tribe, but for Indigenous peoples in Oregon and across the country,\u201d said Rep. Salinas. \u201cAt long last, the Grand Ronde Tribe will finally have the right to pursue land claims and compensation once again. I am so grateful to Senator Merkley, my Oregon colleagues, and everyone who helped get this important legislation across the finish line, and I look forward to seeing it signed into law in the coming days.\u201d\n\n\u201cA gross injustice against the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde is finally ending, and a new chapter of healing and justice for the Tribal community can begin,\u201d said Sen. Merkley. \u201cNearly three decades ago, the Grand Ronde sought to fix a historical surveying error within their reservation boundary, only for the federal government to make another error that relinquished the Tribe\u2019s rights to future land claims and compensation. I\u2019ve long championed legislation to correct this egregious injustice. With the strong partnership of Representative Salinas, it is finally becoming a law that will ensure the Grand Ronde has the legal ability to restore its right to pursue land claims in Oregon\u2014rights already available to other federally-recognized Tribes in Oregon.\u201d\n\n\u201cWords cannot express what this means to us and the pure joy I had hearing the news,\u201d said Grand Ronde Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy. \u201cThis amendment to the Grand Ronde Reservation Act is about correcting a historical wrong and restoring equity to the Tribe. We will forever be grateful to all those that worked to make this possible.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor far too long, the Grand Ronde have been unjustly denied the right to pursue land claims and compensation,\u201d said Governor Kotek. \u201cWe have to do better for all of Oregon\u2019s sovereign Tribes. The enactment of this legislation will alleviate concerns and uncertainties stemming from the 1994 amendment, preserving the Tribe's pre-1994 right to compensation and ensuring a clear and just resolution in the event of any future land survey discrepancies. I am greatly appreciative of Oregon\u2019s federal delegation in leading on this legislation, and I look forward to seeing it signed into law by President Biden.\u201d\n\nSalinas and Merkley\u2019s bill to fix the Grand Ronde Reservation Act corrects a drafting error in a 1994 legislative amendment to the Grand Ronde Reservation Act, which authorized a land exchange requiring the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to compensate the Grand Ronde Tribe for an 84-acre survey error by the federal government. The survey error occurred around 1871 and was not discovered by the Bureau of Land Management until 1988. In 1994, in pursuing federal legislation to rectify the error, an amendment was made to the bill at the time that further prohibited the Tribe from making any additional land claims if new errors were ever discovered.\n\nSalinas and Merkley\u2019s bill will end this inequitable restriction on the Tribe so that they may pursue recourse if additional survey errors are found. Currently, no other tribe in the State of Oregon is bound by this type of legal restriction and removing it will restore equity to the Grand Ronde Tribe. In case additional survey errors are discovered, this bill to amend the Grand Ronde Reservation Act would replace the phrase \u201clands within the State of Oregon\u201d with the phrase \u201cthe 84 acres known as the Thompson Strip,\u201d clarifying that they are only prohibited from making additional land claims to the area known as the Thompson Strip.\n\n\u201cI applaud and was pleased to strongly support this legislation correcting an injustice for the Grand Ronde Tribe,\u201d said Sen. Wyden. \u201cAs a nation we must address past mistakes. I will fight for every Oregon Tribe to ensure the federal government is fully and equitably honoring its obligations and responsibilities to them.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://salinas.house.gov/media/press-releases/salinas-bill-amend-grand-ronde-reservation-act-passes-senate-will-become-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1677849106490612, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}