Bruce Westerman: “I rise in support of H.R. 504, the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act sponsored by Representative Gimenez. This…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 504, the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act sponsored by Representative Gimenez. This bill would amend the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act, or MRAA, to include the Osceola Camp Tribal village as part of the Miccosukee Reserved Area. It would also direct the Secretary of the Interior to consult with the Tribe to protect the village from flooding. The Miccosukee Tribe has a long history in Florida. Oral history has the Tribe initiating in the northern portion of Florida, but they later settled in the Everglades following the Seminole wars. Congress passed the MRAA in 1998, which gave the Tribe permanent residency in the Everglades. The MRAA also declared the Miccosukee Reserved Area as Indian Country, yet the Federal Government still held the right to engage in restoration and protection activities in the area. The area known as the Osceola Camp was not included in the MRAA despite serving as a residential Tribal village with key historical and ancestral ties to the Tribe. The National Park Service is already working with the Tribe to protect this residential area from flooding. Once the camp is incorporated into the Miccosukee Reserved Area, the Tribe will be able to work alongside the Department of the Interior to prevent flooding, preserve the village's infrastructure, and ensure that the village can be inhabited for years to come.”