Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 226) to take certain Federal lands in Tennessee into trust for the benefit of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 226, the bill now under consideration.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 226, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act, introduced by my friend from Tennessee, Congressman Fleischmann.

H.R. 226 places approximately 96 acres of Tennessee Valley Authority land and permanent easements along the shores of the Little Tennessee River and Tellico Reservoir in Monroe County, Tennessee, into trust for the benefit of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

These areas include the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, the Chota Memorial, the Tanasi Memorial, and lands to support these properties and cultural programs.

The parcels placed into trust under the bill will be used to memorialize and interpret the history of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is one of three federally recognized Cherokee Tribes. Their ancestral homeland includes substantial parts of seven eastern States, including Tennessee, and the 57,000-acre Qualla Boundary Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina.

In 1979 after the TVA completed the Tellico Dam, the Tribe approached the TVA about lands that were historically significant to the Tribe and impacted by the dam. In 1984 and 1986, the Tribe and the TVA reached an informal agreement that allowed the Tribe to manage two easements, including the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum.

H.R. 226 helps this cause by transferring approximately 76 acres of historically significant lands from the TVA to the U.S. Government to be held in trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

It also creates two permanent easements over TVA property, held in trust for the Tribe, to create recreational trails between the sites.

This legislation will give the Eastern Band greater control over the historic homelands and the opportunity to memorialize the history and culture of the Cherokee people.

Pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, gaming will be prohibited on the land. The bill also ensures that the TVA will be able to continue its river control and development activities to power the Tennessee Valley region.

Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure and commend the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann) for his continued work on this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann), the lead sponsor of the bill.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 226 is a commonsense bill that facilitates greater control for the Eastern Band of Cherokee over their sacred and historic homelands in Tennessee. It ensures the protection of their timeless heritage, culture, and tradition and allows them to memorialize the history and culture of the Cherokee people.

This Tribe has worked with the Tennessee Valley Authority for over three decades on this issue, and this legislation is long overdue.

I will echo the words of my colleague, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann), and say that the Senate needs to take this bill up and act on it when we pass it again.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Fleischmann for his leadership on the matter. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act introduced by Representative Fleischmann of Tennessee.

This bill would place specified lands and easements in Monroe County, Tennessee, into trust for the benefit of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. These lands include the Sequoyah Museum, the Chota Memorial, the Tanasi Memorial, and land that supports these properties and the Tribe's cultural programs.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, one of three federally recognized Cherokee Tribes and the only federally recognized Tribe in North Carolina, has ancestral homelands spanning across seven Eastern States, including Tennessee.

In 1979, the construction of the Tellico Dam by the Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA, flooded large portions of the Tribe's ancestral lands along the Little Tennessee River, submerging sacred sites and archeological remains. Among the losses were the historic Overhill Cherokee towns, which served as the Cherokee capitals during the 1700s.

While the Eastern Band can never reclaim the land and sacred sites lost to flooding, other historically significant locations in the region remain in need of protection and preservation.

This bill would address this critical need by transferring approximately 76 acres of culturally significant lands from the TVA to the U.S. Government to be held in trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The bill would also establish two permanent easements over TVA property to be held in trust for the Tribe, facilitating the creation of recreational trails that will be between these important sites.

Passing this legislation would grant the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians greater control over their historic homelands, enabling them to preserve and honor their rich history and culture. It would represent an essential step toward safeguarding these culturally significant sites for future generations.

I do remind my colleagues, though, that these kinds of land arrangements don't happen by magic when we pass a bill like this one. Even if this bill becomes law, we will need actual staffing in the executive branch to carry it out. Unfortunately, in the past week, we have already seen basic government functions halted or put at risk from reckless orders to freeze spending, fire or place government workers on administrative leave, and more. These orders are, in many cases, unconstitutional and illegal.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill, but I also urge them to join Democrats in calling for an end to the paralyzing chaos we have been seeing from the White House.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 226, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act. I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their kind words in support of this bill.

Madam Speaker, this legislation has passed this House four times and must pass again today. It needs to go to the United States Senate, and it needs to go to President Trump's desk for signature.

It has been far too long. The Eastern Band of Cherokee have been waiting and had a lot of promises made to them over the years, which have been broken.

This is a great bill for America, and it is a great bill that will honor our wonderful Eastern Band of Cherokee. In my home State, the great State of Tennessee, it takes its name from Tanasi, a historic Overhill Cherokee settlement in present-day Monroe County, Tennessee, in the Third District of Tennessee, which I am privileged to represent.

Tanasi served as the Cherokee capital as early as 1721. Unfortunately, due to misguided Federal policies, the Cherokee were forced from their homes in Tennessee and surrounding States. This tragic period in American history led to the Trail of Tears, a journey in which 15,000 Cherokees were forcibly marched to the Indian territory.

My bill returns important historic sites back to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Tribal Nation comprised of descendants of those Cherokees who resisted removal in the Great Smoky Mountains and escaped the Trail of Tears.

It is on these same lands where the Eastern Band of Cherokees have, for decades, honored the birthplace of Sequoyah, whose likeness we all in this House have the opportunity to pass as we make our way from the rotunda in our Capitol to the House floor.

Let me be clear. My bill, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act, is limited and targeted. It restores 76.1 acres of federally owned Tennessee Valley Authority land to the Eastern Band of Cherokees and will grant two permanent easements over TVA property to be held in trust for the Tribe to create recreational trails between the sites.

Madam Speaker, this is about honoring history and keeping our promises. I strongly urge Members of both Chambers to understand the importance of the Cherokee Tribal land preservation and support H.R. 226 so it may be brought to President Trump's desk promptly.