Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. HEINRICH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. Speaker, shortly after being elected to Congress, I met with some New Mexico tribal leaders who…
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. HEINRICH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. Speaker, shortly after being elected to Congress, I met with some New Mexico tribal leaders who brought to my attention the onerous process for securing a long-term lease on trust land--an unnecessary procedural burden that affects every single home mortgage on Indian land.
We all know how important homeownership is to healthy communities, and the last thing the Federal Government should do is stand in the way of families ready and willing to buy a home. That's why I introduced this bill, the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Home Ownership Act, which we call the HEARTH Act.
Native families buying a house go through the same process as everyone else--they find a house they like, work with their bank to gain approval for a mortgage, and make an offer to the seller. But before these families can close on the sale, they must also get approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to lease the land that the house is
built on. That approval can take between 6 months and 2 years--an intolerable delay for most buyers.
We all know that a seller is rarely able to wait 2 years to sell their house, and banks are often unable to hold a mortgage approval for anywhere near that long. I know that there are many Native families who would prefer to stay and raise their children in the communities where their families have lived for generations, but instead have had to move from Indian Country to nearby cities because they want to own a home. Families shouldn't be forced to make such an important decision based on how many months, or years, it will take a Federal bureaucracy to approve a mortgage on tribal land.
Similarly, many tribal communities lose out on commercial investment because the process for securing a lease through the BIA takes so long. In these tough economic times, we should not be making it harder for business to develop on tribal land.
The HEARTH Act would allow tribes to develop their own leasing regulations and make leasing decisions on the tribal level rather than waiting for BIA approval. Under the bill, tribes would submit their regulations to the Secretary of the Interior for approval. Once the regulations are approved, tribes would be authorized to make their own decisions about how to lease their land in accordance with approved leases. This process would be completely voluntary for tribes. A tribe that chooses not to submit leasing regulations for approval would continue under the current system of BIA approval.
Many tribes already have a lease approval process through their tribal government that approves land leases before they're even sent to the BIA. For those tribes that want the authority and responsibility for making final leasing decisions at the tribal level, the HEARTH Act would give them the option of doing so.
Our Nation is home to a vast diversity of tribes, and Federal policy should reflect that diversity. The HEARTH Act will allow tribes to exercise greater control over their own land, support self- determination, and eliminate bureaucratic delays that stand in the way of homeownership and economic development in tribal communities.
Mr. Speaker, before I close, I want to make sure to thank Representatives Markey, Hastings, Boren, Young, Kildee, Cole, and Lujan for their meaningful work on this important legislation. Again, I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important bipartisan bill to support Native families and communities.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.