To revoke the charter of incorporation of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma at the request of that tribe, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4002) to revoke the charter of incorporation of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma at the request of that tribe, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4002, which is sponsored by our colleague from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin), is a one-line bill to grant a request submitted by the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma to revoke its charter of incorporation, which was issued in 1940 under a 1936 act of Congress.

The charter of incorporation is a New Deal era legal instrument through which a tribe may administer its business activities. However, the tribe has never used its corporate charter because it imposes undesirable restrictions on its activities. It instead manages its business activities pursuant to the authority of the tribal constitution.

Only Congress may revoke a charter of incorporation duly issued to and ratified by a tribe. In accordance with the express wishes of the tribe's leadership, our colleague who represents the tribe in the House sponsored H.R. 4002. The Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs held a hearing on this bill on March 27, 2014. The Department of the Interior testified that it had no objection to the bill, and we see no reason for any Member to object to it either.

I commend my colleague from Oklahoma for performing this important constituent service, and I urge my colleagues to pass this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin), the author of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, this is a good piece of legislation, and I urge its passage.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I would like to announce that the Committee on Indian Affairs will meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, in room SD-628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a business meeting to consider the following bills: S. 1948, A bill to promote the academic achievement of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children with the establishment of a Native American language grant program; S. 2299, A bill to amend the Native American Programs Act of 1974 to reauthorize a provision to ensure the survival and continuing vitality of Native American languages; S. 2442, A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to take certain land and mineral rights on the reservation of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana and other culturally important land into trust for the benefit of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, and for other purposes; S. 2465, A bill to require the Secretary of the Interior to take into trust 4 parcels of Federal land for the benefit of certain Indian Pueblos in the State of New Mexico; S. 2479, A bill to provide for a land conveyance in the State of Nevada; S. 2480, A bill to require the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain Federal land to Elko County, Nevada, and to take land into trust for certain Indian tribes, and for other purposes and H.R. 4002, An act to revoke the charter of incorporation of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma at the request of that tribe, and for other purposes. Those wishing additional information may contact the Indian Affairs Committee at (202) 224-2251.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Ms. TSONGAS asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, at the request of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, H.R. 4002 simply revokes a corporate charter issued to it by the Federal Government.

Under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act and the Indian Reorganization Act, many tribes were issued corporate charters in the 1930s and 1940s that were aimed at enabling them to better manage their own affairs and pursue business relationships with private entities. For some tribes, these corporate charters have proven unnecessary and end up hindering their business opportunities as they inevitably come up in negotiations with private entities and are looked upon with suspicion.

The charter must be revoked by an act of Congress, and Mr. Mullin, on behalf of his constituent, is simply complying with the tribe's request through this bill. Similar bills have passed over the years without event. I ask my colleagues to stand with me in support of this noncontroversial bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of legislation that aims to help out one of my local tribes, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. I was approached by Chief Lankford, and at his request, I crafted this bill to remove an inoperable financial charter of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma's. The bill is needed because these charters can only be revoked through an act of Congress.

The tribe has said that this outdated charter often hinders business and economic development. It imposes restrictions on the operation of business activities that are unrealistic in today's business environment. My bill removes the charter and those unneeded barriers for business for this tribe. I ask all of my colleagues to support this.