Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for those exceptionally generous comments. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 205, the HEARTH Act, by the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Heinrich). I want to commend him for bringing forward and working so hard to secure the passage of this genuinely important piece of legislation. Increased opportunity for economic development in Indian Country is the best way to raise the standards of living for tribal members. This legislation will help break down the barriers to economic development by making needed reforms to tribal leasing regulations. H.R. 205 will streamline the existing bureaucratic process for leasing tribal trust lands by providing Indian tribes with the option to develop and manage their own surface leasing regimes. Existing law requires that each lease of tribal surface lands be approved by the Secretary of the Interior. The secretarial approval process is costly, time consuming, often results in lost business and economic opportunities for tribal communities, and is far too cumbersome to be helpful to those it's designed to protect. These lease reforms come from a pilot program which implemented this same regime on the Navajo reservation over a decade ago. Based on the success of that pilot, it's only natural that these reforms be available to all tribes. Under H.R.…”