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June 2, 2004
Congress yanks Shoshone Indians
By SAMANTHA YOUNG Republican House leaders had scheduled a final vote on the bill but pulled it from the schedule. Instead, the Ways and Means Committee will study provisions that exempt tribal members from paying taxes on any settlement. It was unclear how long the bill might be delayed. "There are procedural requirements in the House of Representatives that any time a bill has taxable consequences, they have jurisdictional review," Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said of the tax-writing committee. Gibbons had tried to avoid such a development. Earlier, he had sponsored a Western Shoshone bill that did not explicitly mention taxes, but it ran into opposition from Democrats. Instead, a bill by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., was substituted that stated Indians would not be taxed on any settlement. Reid's legislation also guarantees that payments would not disqualify beneficiaries from federal need programs like college financial aid and food stamps. The bill seeks to compensate Western Shoshone Indians about $30,000 apiece for land lost to the U.S. government, roughly $143.9 million that has been sitting in a U.S. bank account since 1979. While a majority of the Western Shoshone has voted to accept the payments, a handful of Western Shoshone canvassed Capitol Hill on Tuesday to lobby for its defeat. Some charge that once the Western Shoshone accept payment, their claims for return of land would be diminished. Gibbons also noted the Constitution requires all tax bills originate in the House, which could cause another problem in taking up the Senate-originated Reid bill. "We are hopeful down the road we can address their issues," Gibbons said. |
