§ 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.

(Pub. L. 103–377, § 2, Oct. 19, 1994, 108 Stat. 3501.)

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Pub. L. 103–377, § 1, Oct. 19, 1994, 108 Stat. 3501, provided that: “This Act [enacting this subchapter] may be cited as the ‘Mohegan Nation of Connecticut Land Claims Settlement Act of 1994’.”