Claims of the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Indian Tribe Statement on Signing S.668 Into Law.

I have reluctantly approved S. 668, which permits the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians to file with the United States Court of Claims any claim the band could have filed under the Indian Claims Commission Act of August 13, 1946.

This legislation permits the Cow Creek Band to file claims against the United States in the U.S. Court of Claims notwithstanding the statute of limitations. As a matter of general policy and equity, I do not favor and I will not sign further piecemeal waivers of the statute of limitations unless unique and special circumstances exist. In this instance, the circumstances were unique, and I have therefore signed S. 668.