I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1491 

To reaffirm the action of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into 

trust for the benefit of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission 

Indians, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 10, 2017 

Mr. LAMALFA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To reaffirm the action of the Secretary of the Interior to 

take land into trust for the benefit of the Santa Ynez 

Band of Chumash Mission Indians, 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 ‘‘Santa Ynez Band of 

5 Chumash Indians Land Affirmation Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds as follows: 


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1 (1) The Chumash People have resided along 

2 California’s Central Coast since time immemorial. 

3 Prior to contact with European settlers in 1769, an 

4 estimated 22,000 Chumash lived in villages between 

5 Malibu and Monterey, California. 

6 (2) Like many California Indians, many of the 

7 Chumash people were forced to live on Spanish Mis8 sions. Mission life was cruel and resulted in the deci9 mation of the Chumash people so that by 1831, the 

10 number of mission registered Chumash had fallen to 

11 2,788. 

12 (3) After the dissolution of Mission Santa Ines, 

13 in current day Santa Ynez, California, the Santa 

14 Ynez Band of Chumash Indian was able to begin to 

15 reassemble its government and culture. Tribal lead16 ers and members continued to be marginalized until 

17 the United States granted the tribe 99 acres to es18 tablish its reservation in 1901. 

19 (4) More than 100 years later, the tribe finally 

20 secured the resources to expand its reservation and 

21 purchased roughly 1,400 acres only a few miles 

22 away from its current lands. This land is more accu23 rately described in section 3(e) of this legislation. 

24 (5) On June 1, 2011, the Santa Ynez Band of 

25 Chumash Indians deliver a proposed cooperative 


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1 agreement to the County of Santa Barbara as an 

2 initial offer to mitigate any potential impacts of tak3 ing the land into trust. 

4 (6) On June 27, 2013, after waiting more than 

5 two years for a response from Santa Barbara Coun6 ty to the tribe’s proposed mitigation agreement, the 

7 Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians submitted a 

8 fee-to-trust application for the Camp 4 property. 

9 (7) The BIA published a Notice of Availability 

10 for the initial Environmental Assessment and invited 

11 comments through an extended comment period end12 ing on November 18, 2013. In response to comments 

13 and changes in the plan for development of Camp 4, 

14 the BIA conducted another Environmental Assess15 ment. A final, revised EA was published in May 

16 2014 through a Notice of Availability, and com17 ments on the revised Environmental Assessment 

18 were accepted through and extended comment period 

19 ending July 14, 2014. 

20 (8) Based on the comments submitted to the 

21 revised Environmental Assessment for the proposed 

22 Federal action to accept the fee-to-trust transfer for 

23 the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, the Bu24 reau of Indian Affairs issued a Finding of No Sig25 nificant Impact on October 23, 2014. 


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1 (9) On December 24, 2014, the Bureau of In2 dian Affairs Pacific Region issued a Notice of Deci3 sion indicating its intent to accept the fee-to-trust 

4 transfer of the Camp 4 land. 

5 (10) Throughout 2015, a number of parties ap6 pealed the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ proposed deci7 sion to take the Camp 4 land into trust on behalf 

8 of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. 

9 (11) On January 19, 2017, Department of the 

10 Interior Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary-Indian 

11 Affairs Lawrence S. Roberts dismissed the appeals 

12 and affirmed the December 24, 2014, Bureau of In13 dian Affairs Pacific Region decision to place the 

14 Camp 4 land into trust on behalf of the Santa Ynez 

15 Band of Chumash Indians. 

16 SEC. 3. REAFFIRMATION OF STATUS AND ACTIONS. 

17 (a) RATIFICATION OF TRUST STATUS.—The action 

18 taken by the Secretary on January 20, 2016, to place ap19 proximately 1,427.28 acres of land located in Santa Bar20 bara County, California, into trust for the benefit of the 

21 Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is hereby ratified 

22 and confirmed as if that action had been taken under a 

23 Federal law specifically authorizing or directing that ac24 tion. 


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1 (b) RATIFICATION OF ACTIONS OF THE SEC2 RETARY.—The actions taken by the Secretary to assume 

3 jurisdiction over the appeals relating to the fee-to-trust ac4 quisition of approximately 1,427.28 acres in Santa Bar5 bara County, California, on January 20, 2015, is hereby 

6 ratified and confirmed as if that action had been taken 

7 under a Federal law specifically authorizing or directing 

8 that action. 

9 (c) RATIFICATION OF ACTIONS OF THE SEC10 RETARY.—The actions taken by the Secretary to dismiss 

11 the appeals relating to the fee-to-trust acquisition of ap12 proximately 1,427.28 acres in Santa Barbara County, 

13 California, on January 19, 2017, is hereby ratified and 

14 confirmed as if that action had been taken under a Fed15 eral law specifically authorizing or directing that action. 

16 (d) ADMINISTRATION.— 

17 (1) ADMINISTRATION.—The land placed into 

18 trust for the benefit of the Santa Ynez Band of 

19 Chumash Indians by the Secretary of the Interior on 

20 January 20, 2017, shall be a part of the Santa Ynez 

21 Indian Reservation and administered in accordance 

22 with the laws and regulations generally applicable to 

23 the land held in trust by the United States for an 

24 Indian tribe. 


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1 (2) EFFECT.—For purposes of certain Cali2 fornia State laws (including the California Land 

3 Conservation Act of 1965, Government Code Section 

4 51200, et seq.), placing the land described in sub5 section (b) into trust shall remove any restrictions 

6 on the property pursuant to California Government 

7 Code Section 51295 or any other provision of such 

8 Act. 

9 (e) LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LANDS TRANS10 FERRED.—The lands to be transferred pursuant to this 

11 Act are described as follows: 

12 Legal Land Description/Site Location:Real 

13 property in the unincorporated area of the County of 

14 Santa Barbara, State of California, described as fol15 lows: PARCEL 1: (APN: 141-121-51 AND POR16 TION OF APN 141-140-10)LOTS 9 THROUGH 

17 18, INCLUSIVE, OF TRACT 18, IN THE COUN18 TY OF SANTA BARBARA, STATE OF CALI19 FORNIA, AS SHOWN ON THE MAP SHOWING 

20 THE SUBDIVISIONS OF THE CANADA DE 

21 LOS PINOS OR COLLEGE RANCHO, FILED IN 

22 RACK 3, AS MAP 4 IN THE OFFICE OF THE 

23 COUNTY RECORDER OF SAID COUNTY. THIS 

24 LEGAL IS MADE PURSUANT TO THAT CER25 TAIN CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE REVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:28 Mar 17, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1491.IH H1491

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1 CORDED DECEMBER 5, 2001 AS INSTRU2 MENT NO. 01-105580 OF OFFICIAL RECORDS. 

3 PARCEL 2: (PORTION OF APN: 141-140- 

4 10)LOTS 1 THROUGH 12, INCLUSIVE, OF 

5 TRACT 24, IN THE COUNTY OF SANTA BAR6 BARA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AS SHOWN 

7 ON THE MAP SHOWING THE SUBDIVISIONS 

8 OF THE CANADA DE LOS PINOS OR COL9 LEGE RANCHO, FILED IN RACK 3, AS MAP 4 

10 IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY RE11 CORDER OF SAID COUNTY.THIS LEGAL IS 

12 MADE PURSUANT TO THAT CERTAIN CER13 TIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE RECORDED DE14 CEMBER 5, 2001 AS INSTRUMENT NO. 01- 

15 105581 OF OFFICIAL RECORDS. PARCEL 3: 

16 (PORTIONS OF APNS: 141-230-23 AND 141- 

17 140-10)LOTS 19 AND 20 OF TRACT 18 AND 

18 THAT PORTION OF LOTS 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, AND 

19 15 THROUGH 20, INCLUSIVE, OF TRACT 16, 

20 IN THE COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, 

21 STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AS SHOWN ON THE 

22 MAP SHOWING THE SUBDIVISIONS OF THE 

23 CANADA DE LOS PINOS OR COLLEGE RAN24 CHO, FILED IN RACK 3, AS MAP 4 IN THE 

25 OFFICE OF THE COUNTY RECORDER OF 


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1 SAID COUNTY, THAT LIES NORTHEAST2 ERLY OF THE NORTHEASTERLY LINE OF 

3 THE LAND GRANTED TO THE STATE OF 

4 CALIFORNIA BY AN EXECUTOR’S DEED RE5 CORDED APRIL 2, 1968 IN BOOK 2227, PAGE 

6 136 OF OFFICIAL RECORDS OF SAID COUN7 TY.THIS LEGAL IS MADE PURSUANT TO 

8 THAT CERTAIN CERTIFICATE OF COMPLI9 ANCE RECORDED DECEMBER 5, 2001 AS IN10 STRUMENT NO. 01-105582 OF OFFICIAL 

11 RECORDS. PARCEL 4: (APN: 141-240-02 AND 

12 PORTION OF APN: 141-140-10)LOTS 1 

13 THROUGH 12, INCLUSIVE, OF TRACT 25, IN 

14 THE COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, STATE 

15 OF CALIFORNIA, AS SHOWN ON THE MAP 

16 SHOWING THE SUBDIVISIONS OF THE CAN17 ADA DE LOS PINOS OR COLLEGE RANCHO, 

18 FILED IN RACK 3, AS MAP 4 IN THE OFFICE 

19 OF THE COUNTY RECORDER OF SAID 

20 COUNTY.THIS LEGAL IS MADE PURSUANT 

21 TO THAT CERTAIN CERTIFICATE OF COM22 PLIANCE RECORDED DECEMBER 5, 2001 AS 

23 INSTRUMENT NO. 01-105583 OF OFFICIAL 

24 RECORDS. PARCEL 5: (PORTION OF APN: 

25 141-230-23)THAT PORTION OF LOTS 3 AND 6 


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1 OF TRACT 16, IN THE COUNTY OF SANTA 

2 BARBARA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AS 

3 SHOWN ON THE MAP SHOWING THE SUB4 DIVISIONS OF THE CANADA DE LOS PINOS 

5 OR COLLEGE RANCHO, FILED IN RACK 3, AS 

6 MAP 4 IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY RE7 CORDER OF SAID COUNTY, THAT LIES 

8 NORTHEASTERLY OF THE NORTHEAST9 ERLY LINE OF THE LAND GRANTED TO 

10 THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA BY AN EXECU11 TOR’S DEED RECORDED APRIL 2, 1968 IN 

12 BOOK 2227, PAGE 136 OF OFFICIAL 

13 RECORDS OF SAID COUNTY.THIS LEGAL IS 

14 MADE PURSUANT TO THAT CERTAIN CER15 TIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE RECORDED DE16 CEMBER 5, 2001 AS INSTRUMENT NO. 01- 

17 105584 OF OFFICIAL RECORDS. 

18 (f) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act 

19 shall— 

20 (1) enlarge, impair, or otherwise affect any 

21 right or claim of the Tribe to any land or interest 

22 in land that is in existence before the date of the en23 actment of this Act; 


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1 (2) affect any water right of the Tribe in exist2 ence before the date of the enactment of this Act; 

3 or 

4 (3) terminate or limit any access in any way to 

5 any right-of-way or right-of-use issued, granted, or 

6 permitted before the date of the enactment of this 

7 Act. 

8 (g) RESTRICTED USE OF TRANSFERRED LANDS.— 

9 The Tribe may not conduct, on the land described in sub10 section (b) taken into trust for the Tribe pursuant to this 

11 Act, gaming activities— 

12 (1) as a matter of claimed inherent authority; 

13 or 

14 (2) under any Federal law, including the Indian 

15 Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) 

16 and regulations promulgated by the Secretary or the 

17 National Indian Gaming Commission under that 

18 Act. 

19 (h) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section: 

20 (1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

21 the Secretary of the Interior. 

22 (2) TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the 

23 Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians. 

Æ 


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