I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2684 
To restore tribal economic development opportunity for the Alabama- 
Coushatta 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 fol-
lowing 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Alabama-Coushatta 
Tribe of Texas Equal and Fair Opportunity Settlement 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF 
POLICY. 
(a) FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS.—Congress finds 
and declares the following: 
(1) It is the policy of the United States to pro-
mote tribal self-determination and economic self-suf-
ficiency and to support the resolution of disputes 
over historical claims. 
(2) Sam Houston, as a leader in the Texas Rev-
olution and the President of the Republic of Texas, 
established friendly relations with the tribes, ex-
pressed his personal appreciation for the assistance 
of the tribes during the fight for Texas independ-
ence, and endeavored to protect their lands and 
rights. 
(3) The United States, pursuant to Federal law 
and in accordance with several Federal court deci-
sions, has affirmed the rights of the Alabama- 
Coushatta Tribe of Texas (Alabama-Coushatta 
Tribe), to free and undisturbed use and occupancy 
of its aboriginal lands, including the right to com-
pensation when those rights are violated. 
(4) The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe’s lands in 
southeastern Texas have been subject to illegal tres-
pass and use, depriving the Alabama-Coushatta 
Tribe of critical economic development opportunities, 
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including valuable timber production and oil and gas 
leasing. 
(5) In June 2000, the United States Court of 
Federal Claims ruled that— 
(A) the United States violated its fiduciary 
obligations to the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe by 
knowingly failing to protect 2.85 million acres 
of the aboriginal lands of the Tribe in south-
eastern Texas; 
(B) this failure would have constituted a 
claim eligible to be heard by the Indian Claims 
Commission established by the first section of 
the Act of August 13, 1946; and 
(C) as described in House Resolution 69 
(98th Congress), which was passed on Novem-
ber 1, 1983, it was the sense of the House of 
Representatives that the Federal Government 
should pay full monetary compensation to the 
Alabama-Coushatta Tribe for the loss of the 
2,850,000 acres of aboriginal lands illegally oc-
cupied by non-Indian settlers after 1845. 
(6) In October 2002, the United States Court 
of Federal Claims adopted $270,600,000 as the 
jointly stipulated amount of economic damages to be 
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recovered by the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe from the 
United States. 
(7) While the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe is as-
serting outstanding claims regarding its aboriginal 
lands, the Tribe has elected to forego, relinquish, 
waive, and otherwise extinguish any such claims, on 
the condition that Congress amend the Tribe’s 1987 
Restoration Act, as hereinafter described. 
(8) Congress desires to empower the Alabama- 
Coushatta Tribe to govern its own economic future 
and appreciates the Tribe’s willingness to forego 
these land claims in exchange for improved economic 
self-sufficiency. 
(9) This Act is a good faith effort on the part 
of Congress to compensate the Alabama-Coushatta 
Tribe for the loss of its aboriginal lands by providing 
the Tribe with the same economic development op-
portunity, under the same terms and conditions, 
that is available to other federally recognized Indian 
tribes, in exchange for the Tribe’s agreement to re-
linquish its land claims as described above. 
(10) In the absence of Congressional action, 
these land claims will likely be pursued through the 
courts, a process that would take many years and 
thereby promote divisiveness and uncertainty in the 
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State of Texas, to the ultimate detriment of the Ala-
bama-Coushatta Tribe, its members, and all other 
citizens of the State of Texas. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are as fol-
lows: 
(1) To recognize and compensate the Alabama- 
Coushatta Tribe for the loss of its aboriginal lands 
and the resulting loss of economically productive use 
of those lands for decades. 
(2) To restore economic development oppor-
tunity to the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe on terms 
that are equal and fair. 
(3) To resolve claims by the Alabama- 
Coushatta Tribe regarding the loss of its aboriginal 
lands. 
(4) To insulate the Federal Government and 
taxpayers from the potential for greater and ongoing 
liability stemming from these claims. 
SEC. 3. RESTORATION ACT AMENDMENT. 
For the purpose of restoring economic development 
opportunity on terms that are equal and fair, section 207 
of Public Law 100–89 (25 U.S.C. 737) is hereby repealed. 
SEC. 4. DISMISSAL OF LAND CLAIMS. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the United States and the Alabama- 
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