,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #aadd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,march #ac1 #bjac    
,mr4 ,stockman introduced the following 
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,natural ,resources  ,a   
,,bill  ,to restore an opportunity for  
tribal economic development on terms    
that are equal and fair1 and for other  
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,alabama-,coushatta 
,tribe of ,texas ,equal and ,fair       
,opportunity ,settlement ,act4  #b4     
,congressional findings and declaration 
of policy ,congress finds and declares  
that3  7a7 ,findings and declarations   
7#a7 ,it is the policy of the ,united   
,states to promote tribal               
self-determination and economic         
self-sufficiency and to support the     
resolution of disputes over historical  
claims4  7#b7 ,sam ,houston1 as a leader
 in the ,texas ,revolution and the      
,president of the ,republic of ,texas1  
established friendly relations with the 

tribes1 expressed his personal          
appreciation for the assistance of the  
tribes during the fight for ,texas      
independence1 and endeavored to protect 
their lands and rights4  7#c7 ,the      
,united ,states1 pursuant to ,federal   
law and in accordance with several      
,federal court decisions1 has affirmed  
the rights of tribes1 including the     
,alabama-,coushatta ,tribe of ,texas    
7,alabama-,coushatta ,tribe71 to free   
and undisturbed use and occupancy of its
 aboriginal lands1 including the right  
to compensation when those rights are   
violated4  7#d7 ,the ,alabama-,coushatta
 ,tribe holds aboriginal title to land  
in southeastern ,texas that has been    
subject to illegal trespass and use1    
depriving the ,alabama-,coushatta ,tribe
 of critical economic development       
opportunities1 including valuable timber
 production and oil and gas leasing4    
7#e7 ,in ,june #bjjj1 the ,united       
,states ,court of ,federal ,claims ruled
 that the ,alabama-,coushatta ,tribe    

retained aboriginal title to #e4e       
million acres of land in southeastern   
,texas4 ,in its decision1 the ,court    
also ruled that the ,united ,states is  
responsible for the ,tribe's loss of use
 of more than #b4he million acres4  7#f7
 ,in ,october #bjjb1 the ,united ,states
 ,court of ,federal ,claims adopted the 
sum of ,two ,hundred ,seventy ,million  
,six ,hundred ,thousand ,dollars        
7#bgj1fjj1jjj7 as the jointly stipulated
 amount of economic damages to be       
recovered by the ,alabama-,coushatta    
,tribe from the ,united ,states4  7#g7  
,there is pending before the ,united    
,states ,district ,court for the        
,eastern ,district of ,texas a lawsuit  
by the ,alabama-,coushatta ,tribe1      
seeking declaratory and injunctive      
relief based on the ,united ,states     
failure to discharge its fiduciary duty 
to the ,tribe4  7#h7 ,despite the       
,alabama-,coushatta ,tribe's strongly   
held beliefs about the rights it        
possesses regarding its aboriginal      

lands1 the ,tribe has decided to forego1
 relinquish1 waive1 and otherwise       
disclaim any such rights1 on the        
condition that ,congress authorize a    
restoration of its ,federal status1 as  
hereinafter described4  7#i7 ,the       
,congress shares with the ,state of     
,texas and the parties to this          
litigation a desire to empower the      
,alabama-,coushatta ,tribe to govern its
 own economic future and appreciates the
 ,tribe's willingness to forego its     
aboriginal rights in exchange for       
improved economic self-sufficiency4     
7#aj7 ,this legislation represents a    
good faith effort on the part of        
,congress to provide the                
,alabama-,coushatta ,tribe with an      
economic development opportunity under  
the same terms and conditions as other  
federally recognized ,indian tribes1 in 
exchange for the ,tribe's agreement to  
relinquish its rights as described      
above4  7#aa7 ,in the absence of        
,congressional action1 these land claims

 and related claims will be pursued     
through the courts1 a process which in  
all likelihood will consume many years  
and thereby promote hostility and       
uncertainty in the ,state of ,texas1 to 
the ultimate detriment of the           
,alabama-,coushatta ,tribe1 its members1
 and all other citizens of the ,state of
 ,texas4  7b7 ,purposes ,it is the      
purpose of this subchapter--  7#a7 to   
recognize the ,alabama-,coushatta       
,tribe's loss of its aboriginal lands   
and the resulting loss of any           
economically productive use of those    
lands for decades2  7#b7 to restore an  
economic development opportunity to the 
,alabama-,coushatta ,tribe on terms that
 are equal and fair2  7#c7 to resolve   
questions about the rights and          
obligations of those landowners in      
,texas that hold title subject to the   
,tribe's aboriginal title2 and  7#d7 to 
insulate the ,federal ,government and   
taxpayers from potentially greater and  
ongoing liability from these claims4    

#c4 ,restoration ,act amendment ,for the
 purpose of restoring an economic       
development opportunity on terms that   
are equal and fair1 ,section #bjg of the
 ,alabama-,coushatta ,tribes of ,texas  
,restoration ,act1 ,public ,law #ajj-hi 
7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #gcg7 is hereby deleted4 
#d4 ,judgment and dismissal of          
litigation ,not later than six months   
after the date of enactment1 the ,united
 ,states and the ,alabama-,coushatta    
,tribe of ,texas shall execute and file 
with the ,united ,states ,district      
,court for the ,eastern ,district of    
,texas in the pending litigation a      
motion for entry of final judgment in   
accordance with the terms of this       
subchapter4  #e4 ,approval of prior     
transfers and extinguishment of claims  
and aboriginal title  7a7 ,approval and 
ratification of prior transfers ,any    
invalid transfer before the date of the 
introduction of this legislation of land
 or natural resources located within the
 ,state of ,texas1 including but not    

limited to transfers pursuant to a      
statute or treaty of1 or with1 any      
,state or the ,united ,states1 from1 by1
 or on behalf of the ,alabama-,coushatta
 ,tribe of ,texas1 or any predecessor in
 interest or any of its members1 shall  
be deemed to have been made in          
compliance with the ,constitution and   
all laws of the ,united ,states4        
,congress hereby does approve and ratify
 any such invalid transfer effective as 
of the date of said transfer4  7b7      
,extinguishment of aboriginal title ,by 
virtue of the approval and ratification 
of a transfer of land or natural        
resources effected by subsection 7a7 of 
this section1 any aboriginal title held 
by the ,alabama-,coushatta ,tribe of    
,texas1 or any predecessor in interest  
or any of its members1 to any land or   
natural resources the transfer of which 
was approved and ratified by subsection 
7a7 of this section shall be regarded as
 extinguished as of the date of such    
transfer4  7c7 ,extinguishment of claims

 ,by virtue of the approval and         
ratification of a transfer of land or   
natural resources effected by this      
section1 or the extinguishment of       
aboriginal title effected hereby1 any   
claim 7including any claim for damages  
for trespass or for use and occupancy7  
by1 or on behalf of1 the                
,alabama-,coushatta ,tribe of ,texas1 or
 any predecessor in interest or any of  
its members1 against the ,united ,states
 or the ,state of ,texas which is based 
on--  7#a7 any interest in or right     
involving any land or natural resources 
the transfer of which was approved and  
ratified by subsection 7a7 of this      
section1 or  7#b7 any aboriginal title  
to land or natural resources the        
extinguishment of which was effected by 
subsection 7b7 of this section1  shall  
be regarded as extinguished as of the   
date of any such transfer4  7d7 ,savings
 provisions  7#a7 ,nothing in this      
section shall be construed to affect or 
eliminate the personal claim of an      

individual ,indian 7except for a        
,federal common law fraud claim7 which  
is pursued under any law of general     
applicability that protects non-,indians
 as well as ,indians4  7#b7 ,nothing in 
this subchapter is intended to alter the
 status of lands held in trust by the   
,united ,states on behalf of the        
,alabama-,coushatta ,tribe of ,texas4