Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana) introduced the Senate version of the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership (HEARTH) Act.

The bill cuts the Bureau of Indian Affairs out of the home site leasing process. Tribes say it can take the agency up to two years to process a lease.

“With this bill, we’re killing two birds with one stone,” said Tester, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. “We’re eliminating a prime example of government red tape and inefficient bureaucracy, which will save a lot of time and money. And we’re strengthening the rights of folks on our Indian reservations to manage their own land.”

The House version of the bill is H.R.2523.

Get the Story:
Press Release: Tester introduces bill cutting ‘inefficient bureaucracy’ from tribal land leases (Sen Tester 4/19)

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