Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 212, the Indian Community Economic Enhancement Act, amends current laws to provide industry and economic development opportunities to Indian communities. Indian Tribes face many unique obstacles in their mission to bring industry and economic development to Indian Country. This includes geographic isolation, lack of infrastructure, and lack of sufficient collateral and capital. The end result is an increased cost of doing business in Indian Country, which stifles outside investment. S. 212 seeks to address these issues by amending three existing Federal laws, the Native American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act of 2000, the Buy Indian Act, and the Native American Programs Act of 1974. These laws have been supporting Native businesses and economic development for years. However, they need to be updated to reflect the 21st century economy, as well as the realities in Indian Country today. To that end, enactment of S. 212 will increase access to capital for Indian Tribes and businesses, increase opportunities for Indian business promotion, and create mechanisms and tools to address investments in Indian communities. At the request of the Appropriations Committee, we are making some small changes to the current bill to update the fiscal year authorization language for some of the programs.…”