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President Barack Obama signs another Miami Nation bill into law

Monday, February 29, 2016

Leaders of the Miami Nation of Oklahoma, from left: Secretary-Treasurer Sarah Lawson, Second Chief Dustin Olds, Chief Doug Lankford, First Councilperson Donya Williams and Second Councilperson Scott Willard. Photo from Miami Nation

President Barack Obama signed a second Miami Nation bill into law on Monday.

H.R.487 allows the Oklahoma-based tribe to sell, transfer or lease non-trust lands without running afoul of the Non-Intercourse Act.

"This bill promotes tribal self-determination by empowering the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma to more easily lease or transfer their non-trust tribal lands," Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, said in a press release after the measure passed the Senate on February 11. It cleared the House last September.

H.R.487 is the second Miami Nation bill to become law in the 114th Congress. H.R.533, a bill that revokes the tribe's outdated and unused Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act charter, was signed by Obama last July.

Stand-alone bills for tribes are common on Capitol Hill but it's rare for a tribe to win passage of more than one measure during a single legislative session.