Indianz.Com > News > President Biden signs pro-tribal bill into law as Native American Heritage Month winds down
President Biden signs pro-tribal bill into law as Native American Heritage Month winds down
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Indianz.Com
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan bill to enable the Seminole Tribe to exercise greater control over its lands in Florida has finally become law as National Native American Heritage Month winds down.
President Joe Biden signed S.108 into law on Tuesday morning. The measure ensures the tribe can lease or transfer real estate without running afoul of the Indian Nonintercourse Act, a colonial-era statute that otherwise requires Congressional approval for every single property transaction.
“Thank you to Senators Rubio and Rick Scott and Representative Soto for their leadership,” Biden said in reference to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) and Rep. Darren Soto (D-Florida), the sponsors of the new law.
The U.S. Senate passed S.108 on May 26. The bill was approved by unanimous consent, meaning it was considered non-controversial and no one objected to its passage by a voice vote.
“This bill is necessary in order to create additional economic opportunities for the Seminole Tribe of Florida and its members,” Chairman Marcellus Osceola, Jr. said after approval in the Senate.
The U.S. House of Representatives took up S.108 on November 1, the start of Native American Heritage Month. The bill was considered under a suspension of the rules, a process usually reserved for non-controversial legislation that has bipartisan support. “At least two title insurance companies approached by the tribe have interpreted the act to apply to real estate owned by a state-chartered subsidiary entity of the tribe,” Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-New Mexico), the chair of the House Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States, said in explaining the need for the legislation. “As such, the title companies will not insure the mortgage without an exemption from the act, which in turn effectively kills any ability to finance an acquisition,” Fernandez said.Sen. Rubio's bill for the #SeminoleTribe of #Florida was signed into law.
— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) November 23, 2021
Read more⬇️https://t.co/GHivgtau9o
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