QUINAULT INDIAN NATION LAND TRANSFER ACT

On 2026-09-30, Senator John Thune (R-SD) delivered a floor speech titled "QUINAULT INDIAN NATION LAND TRANSFER ACT" in the Senate.

QUINAULT INDIAN NATION LAND TRANSFER ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 155 (Wednesday, September 30, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 155 (Wednesday, September 30, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S5297] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] QUINAULT INDIAN NATION LAND TRANSFER ACT Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 673, S. 1514. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title. The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (S. 1514) to take certain land in the State of Washington into trust for the benefit of the Quinault Indian Nation, and for other purposes. There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, which had been reported from the Committee on Indian Affairs with amendments, as follows: (The parts of the bill intended to be stricken are in boldfaced brackets, and the parts of the bill intended to be inserted are in italic.) S. 1514 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Quinault Indian Nation Land Transfer Act''. SEC. 2. LAND TAKEN INTO TRUST FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE QUINAULT INDIAN NATION. [(a) In General.--Subject to valid existing rights, the approximately 72 acres of land located in the State of Washington and generally depicted as ``Allotment 1157'' on the map entitled ``Quinault Indian Nation Land Transfer Act'' and dated February 2, 2024, shall be administratively transferred from the Forest Service to the Department of the Interior and taken into trust for the benefit of the Quinault Indian Nation.] (a) Land to Be Taken Into Trust.-- (1) In general.--Subject to valid existing rights, the approximately 72 acres of land located in the State of Washington and generally depicted as ``Allotment 1157'' on the map entitled ``Quinault Indian Nation Land Transfer Act'' and dated February 2, 2024, shall be administratively transferred from the Forest Service to the Department of the Interior and taken into trust for the benefit of the Quinault Indian Nation. (2) Valid existing rights.--Any valid existing rights, including easements, rights-of-way, permits, utility corridors, access rights, and any other recorded or legally recognized interests in the land taken into trust under paragraph (1), shall remain in effect following the transfer and trust acquisition under that paragraph unless modified, relinquished, or terminated in accordance with applicable Federal law. (b) Land Part of Reservation; Administration.--The land taken into trust under [subsection (a)] subsection (a)(1) shall be-- (1) part of the Quinault Indian Reservation; and (2) administered by the Secretary of the Interior in accordance with the laws and regulations generally applicable to property held in trust by the United States for an Indian Tribe. (c) Gaming Prohibited.--The land taken into trust under [subsection (a)] subsection (a)(1) shall not be eligible for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.). (d) No Impact on Treaty Rights.--Nothing in this Act affects treaty rights under the Treaty between the United States and the Qui-nai-elt and Quil-leh-ute Indians, done at the Qui-nai-elt River July 1, 1855, and Olympia January 25, 1856 (12 Stat. 971) (commonly known as the ``Treaty of Olympia''). (e) Hazardous Materials.--For purposes of the taking of land into trust under [subsection (a)] subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of the Interior-- (1) shall meet disclosure requirements for hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants under section 120(h) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9620(h)); and (2) shall not otherwise be required to remediate or abate those hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. Mr. THUNE. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendments be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The committee-reported amendments were agreed to. The bill (S. 1514), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, was read the third time, and passed, as follows: S. 1514 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Quinault Indian Nation Land Transfer Act''. SEC. 2. LAND TAKEN INTO TRUST FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE QUINAULT INDIAN NATION. (a) Land to Be Taken Into Trust.-- (1) In general.--Subject to valid existing rights, the approximately 72 acres of land located in the State of Washington and generally depicted as ``Allotment 1157'' on the map entitled ``Quinault Indian Nation Land Transfer Act'' and dated February 2, 2024, shall be administratively transferred from the Forest Service to the Department of the Interior and taken into trust for the benefit of the Quinault Indian Nation. (2) Valid existing rights.--Any valid existing rights, including easements, rights-of-way, permits, utility corridors, access rights, and any other recorded or legally recognized interests in the land taken into trust under paragraph (1), shall remain in effect following the transfer and trust acquisition under that paragraph unless modified, relinquished, or terminated in accordance with applicable Federal law. (b) Land Part of Reservation; Administration.--The land taken into trust under subsection (a)(1) shall be-- (1) part of the Quinault Indian Reservation; and (2) administered by the Secretary of the Interior in accordance with the laws and regulations generally applicable to property held in trust by the United States for an Indian Tribe. (c) Gaming Prohibited.--The land taken into trust under subsection (a)(1) shall not be eligible for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.). (d) No Impact on Treaty Rights.--Nothing in this Act affects treaty rights under the Treaty between the United States and the Qui-nai-elt and Quil-leh-ute Indians, done at the Qui-nai-elt River July 1, 1855, and Olympia January 25, 1856 (12 Stat. 971) (commonly known as the ``Treaty of Olympia''). (e) Hazardous Materials.--For purposes of the taking of land into trust under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of the Interior-- (1) shall meet disclosure requirements for hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants under section 120(h) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9620(h)); and (2) shall not otherwise be required to remediate or abate those hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. ____________________

Referenced legislation: S1514, S1514