I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2684 

To restore tribal economic development opportunity for the AlabamaCoushatta Tribe of Texas on terms that are equal and fair, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 4, 2015 

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska (for himself, Mr. BABIN, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, 

Mr. LAMALFA, Mr. BARTON, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 

COOK, Mr. DENHAM, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, and Mr. RUIZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To restore tribal economic development opportunity for the 

Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas on terms that are 

equal and fair, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Alabama-Coushatta 

5 Tribe of Texas Equal and Fair Opportunity Settlement 

6 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF 

2 POLICY. 

3 (a) FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS.—Congress finds 

4 and declares the following: 

5 (1) It is the policy of the United States to pro6 mote tribal self-determination and economic self-suf7 ficiency and to support the resolution of disputes 

8 over historical claims. 

9 (2) Sam Houston, as a leader in the Texas Rev10 olution and the President of the Republic of Texas, 

11 established friendly relations with the tribes, ex12 pressed his personal appreciation for the assistance 

13 of the tribes during the fight for Texas independ14 ence, and endeavored to protect their lands and 

15 rights. 

16 (3) The United States, pursuant to Federal law 

17 and in accordance with several Federal court deci18 sions, has affirmed the rights of the Alabama19 Coushatta Tribe of Texas (Alabama-Coushatta 

20 Tribe), to free and undisturbed use and occupancy 

21 of its aboriginal lands, including the right to com22 pensation when those rights are violated. 

23 (4) The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe’s lands in 

24 southeastern Texas have been subject to illegal tres25 pass and use, depriving the Alabama-Coushatta 

26 Tribe of critical economic development opportunities, 


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1 including valuable timber production and oil and gas 

2 leasing. 

3 (5) In June 2000, the United States Court of 

4 Federal Claims ruled that— 

5 (A) the United States violated its fiduciary 

6 obligations to the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe by 

7 knowingly failing to protect 2.85 million acres 

8 of the aboriginal lands of the Tribe in south9 eastern Texas; 

10 (B) this failure would have constituted a 

11 claim eligible to be heard by the Indian Claims 

12 Commission established by the first section of 

13 the Act of August 13, 1946; and 

14 (C) as described in House Resolution 69 

15 (98th Congress), which was passed on Novem16 ber 1, 1983, it was the sense of the House of 

17 Representatives that the Federal Government 

18 should pay full monetary compensation to the 

19 Alabama-Coushatta Tribe for the loss of the 

20 2,850,000 acres of aboriginal lands illegally oc21 cupied by non-Indian settlers after 1845. 

22 (6) In October 2002, the United States Court 

23 of Federal Claims adopted $270,600,000 as the 

24 jointly stipulated amount of economic damages to be 


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1 recovered by the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe from the 

2 United States. 

3 (7) While the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe is as4 serting outstanding claims regarding its aboriginal 

5 lands, the Tribe has elected to forego, relinquish, 

6 waive, and otherwise extinguish any such claims, on 

7 the condition that Congress amend the Tribe’s 1987 

8 Restoration Act, as hereinafter described. 

9 (8) Congress desires to empower the Alabama10 Coushatta Tribe to govern its own economic future 

11 and appreciates the Tribe’s willingness to forego 

12 these land claims in exchange for improved economic 

13 self-sufficiency. 

14 (9) This Act is a good faith effort on the part 

15 of Congress to compensate the Alabama-Coushatta 

16 Tribe for the loss of its aboriginal lands by providing 

17 the Tribe with the same economic development op18 portunity, under the same terms and conditions, 

19 that is available to other federally recognized Indian 

20 tribes, in exchange for the Tribe’s agreement to re21 linquish its land claims as described above. 

22 (10) In the absence of Congressional action, 

23 these land claims will likely be pursued through the 

24 courts, a process that would take many years and 

25 thereby promote divisiveness and uncertainty in the 


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1 State of Texas, to the ultimate detriment of the Ala2 bama-Coushatta Tribe, its members, and all other 

3 citizens of the State of Texas. 

4 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are as fol5 lows: 

6 (1) To recognize and compensate the Alabama7 Coushatta Tribe for the loss of its aboriginal lands 

8 and the resulting loss of economically productive use 

9 of those lands for decades. 

10 (2) To restore economic development oppor11 tunity to the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe on terms 

12 that are equal and fair. 

13 (3) To resolve claims by the Alabama14 Coushatta Tribe regarding the loss of its aboriginal 

15 lands. 

16 (4) To insulate the Federal Government and 

17 taxpayers from the potential for greater and ongoing 

18 liability stemming from these claims. 

19 SEC. 3. RESTORATION ACT AMENDMENT. 

20 For the purpose of restoring economic development 

21 opportunity on terms that are equal and fair, section 207 

22 of Public Law 100–89 (25 U.S.C. 737) is hereby repealed. 

23 SEC. 4. DISMISSAL OF LAND CLAIMS. 

24 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact25 ment of this Act, the United States and the AlabamaVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:59 Jun 08, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2684.IH H2684

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1 Coushatta Tribe shall execute and file in each applicable 

2 court a motion for dismissal of any pending claim arising 

3 out of, or relating to, the aboriginal lands, or an interest 

4 in the aboriginal lands, of the Tribe. 

5 SEC. 5. EXTINGUISHMENT OF CLAIMS. 

6 (a) EXTINGUISHMENT OF CLAIMS.—Any claim (in7 cluding any claim for damages for trespass or for use and 

8 occupancy) by, or on behalf of, the Alabama-Coushatta 

9 Tribe of Texas, or any predecessor in interest or any of 

10 its members, against the United States, the State of 

11 Texas, or any landowner, which is based on any interest 

12 in, or right involving, any land or natural resources, shall 

13 be regarded as extinguished. 

14 (b) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section— 

15 (1) affects or limits the personal claim of an in16 dividual Indian (except for a Federal common law 

17 fraud claim) which is pursued under any law of gen18 eral applicability that protects non-Indians as well as 

19 Indians; or 

20 (2) alters the status of lands held in trust by 

21 the United States on behalf of the Alabama22 Coushatta Tribe. 

Æ 


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