I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3878 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to hold in trust for the benefit 
of the nine federally recognized Indian tribes in Oregon the Chemawa 
Indian School land and improvements, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 1, 2012 
Mr. SCHRADER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to hold in trust 
for the benefit of the nine federally recognized Indian 
tribes in Oregon the Chemawa Indian School land and 
improvements, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Chemawa Indian School Trust Transfer and Self-Deter-
mination Act of 2012’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The Chemawa Indian School, originally 
opened in Forest Grove, Oregon, in 1880, is the 
longest continuously operating off-reservation board-
ing school for Indian children in the United States. 
(2) Circa 1885, Chemawa Indian School stu-
dents and staff donated significant resources toward 
the purchase of the Salem, Oregon, school property 
and expressed a desire that the school lands and 
buildings belong to the Indians. 
(3) All the land purchased for the Chemawa In-
dian School was deeded directly to the Federal Gov-
ernment, has never been converted to trust status, 
and is not considered ‘‘Indian country’’ under title 
18, United States Code. 
(4) The land that comprises the Chemawa In-
dian School is now managed by the General Services 
Administration. 
(5) As much as one-third of the Chemawa In-
dian School property has been sold or transferred by 
the Federal Government for various purposes, with-
out direct benefit to the Chemawa students and 
without input from the Oregon tribes regarding 
whether such sales or transfers would affect the mis-
sion of the Chemawa Indian School or whether the 
property could be used for other Indian purposes. 
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(6) Consistent with principles of tribal self-de-
termination, decisions about the operation and fu-
ture of the Chemawa Indian school, lands, and pur-
poses should be under the control and authority of 
the Oregon tribes. 
(7) Resolutions supporting the transfer of the 
Chemawa Indian School into trust status for the 
benefit of the federally recognized Indian tribes in 
Oregon have been passed by the Confederated Tribes 
of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the 
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, the 
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reserva-
tion, the Coquille Indian Tribe, the Confederated 
Tribes of Coos, the Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw In-
dians, the Klamath Tribes, the Cow Creek Band of 
Umpqua Indians, the Burns Paiute Tribe, the 
Chemawa Indian School Board, the Affiliated Tribes 
of Northwest Indians, and the National Congress of 
American Indians. 
SEC. 2. CHEMAWA INDIAN SCHOOL AND CHEMAWA CEME-
TERY LAND HELD IN TRUST FOR BENEFIT OF 
OREGON TRIBES. 
(a) TRANSFER OF ADMINISTRATION AND AUTHOR-
IZATION TO HOLD IN TRUST.— 
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