25 U.S.C. § 1775 : US Code - Section 1775: Findings and purposes

Search 25 U.S.C. § 1775 : US Code - Section 1775: Findings and purposes

(a) Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut received
recognition by the United States pursuant to the administrative
process under part 83 of title 25 of the Code of Federal
Regulations.
(2) The Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut is the
successor in interest to the aboriginal entity known as the
Mohegan Indian Tribe.
(3) The Mohegan Tribe has existed in the geographic area that
is currently the State of Connecticut for a long period preceding
the colonial period of the history of the United States.
(4) Certain lands were sequestered as tribal lands by the
Colony of Connecticut and subsequently by the State of
Connecticut.
(5) The Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut v. State of
Connecticut, et al. (Civil Action No. H-77-434, pending before
the United States District Court for the Southern District of
Connecticut) relates to the ownership of certain lands within the
State of Connecticut.
(6) Such action will likely result in economic hardships for
residents of the State of Connecticut, including residents of the
town of Montville, Connecticut, by encumbering the title to lands
in the State, including lands that are not currently the subject
of the action.
(7) The State of Connecticut and the Mohegan Tribe have
executed agreements for the purposes of resolving all disputes
between the State of Connecticut and the Mohegan Tribe and
providing a settlement for the action referred to in paragraph
(5).
(8) In order to implement the agreements referred to in
paragraphs (5) and (6) of section 1775a of this title that
address matters of jurisdiction with respect to certain offenses
committed by and against members of the Mohegan Tribe and other
Indians in Indian country and matters of gaming-related
development, it is necessary for the Congress to enact
legislation.
(9) The town of Montville, Connecticut, will -
(A) be affected by the loss of a tax base from, and
jurisdiction over, lands that will be held in trust by the
United States on behalf of the Mohegan Tribe; and
(B) serve as the host community for the gaming operations of
the Mohegan Tribe.
(10) The town of Montville and the Mohegan Tribe have entered
into an agreement to resolve issues extant between them and to
establish the basis for a cooperative government-to-government
relationship.
(b) Purposes
The purposes of this subchapter are as follows:
(1) To facilitate the settlement of claims against the State of
Connecticut by the Mohegan Tribe.
(2) To facilitate the removal of any encumbrance to any title
to land in the State of Connecticut that would have resulted from
the action referred to in subsection (a) of this section.