Bruce Westerman

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 226, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 226, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act, introduced by my friend from Tennessee, Congressman Fleischmann. H.R. 226 places approximately 96 acres of Tennessee Valley Authority land and permanent easements along the shores of the Little Tennessee River and Tellico Reservoir in Monroe County, Tennessee, into trust for the benefit of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. These areas include the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, the Chota Memorial, the Tanasi Memorial, and lands to support these properties and cultural programs. The parcels placed into trust under the bill will be used to memorialize and interpret the history of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is one of three federally recognized Cherokee Tribes. Their ancestral homeland includes substantial parts of seven eastern States, including Tennessee, and the 57,000-acre Qualla Boundary Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina. In 1979 after the TVA completed the Tellico Dam, the Tribe approached the TVA about lands that were historically significant to the Tribe and impacted by the dam. In 1984 and 1986, the Tribe and the TVA reached an informal agreement that allowed the Tribe to manage two easements, including the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum. H.R. 226 helps this cause by transferring approximately 76 acres of historically significant lands from the TVA to the U.S. Government to be held in trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. It also creates two permanent easements over TVA property, held in trust for the Tribe, to create recreational trails between the sites. This legislation will give the Eastern Band greater control over the historic homelands and the opportunity to memorialize the history and culture of the Cherokee people. Pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, gaming will be prohibited on the land. The bill also ensures that the TVA will be able to continue its river control and development activities to power the Tennessee Valley region. Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure and commend the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann) for his continued work on this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann), the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, H.R. 226 is a commonsense bill that facilitates greater control for the Eastern Band of Cherokee over their sacred and historic homelands in Tennessee. It ensures the protection of their timeless heritage, culture, and tradition and allows them to memorialize the history and culture of the Cherokee people. This Tribe has worked with the Tennessee Valley Authority for over three decades on this issue, and this legislation is long overdue. I will echo the words of my colleague, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann), and say that the Senate needs to take this bill up and act on it when we pass it again. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Fleischmann for his leadership on the matter. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 226) to take certain Federal lands in Tennessee into trust for the benefit of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 776, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 776) to reauthorize the Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Begich), who is the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 43, the Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025, would amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, or ANCSA, and to return lands back to Alaska Native Village Corporations that are currently held in trust by the State of Alaska for future municipalities. ANCSA was enacted to settle aboriginal land claims of Alaska Natives, and in doing so Alaska Native corporations were created to receive land and disburse payments to Alaska Natives. ANCSA required Alaska Native Village Corporations that received land to convey some land to an existing municipality. If no municipality existed, the land was conveyed to the State of Alaska to be held in trust for a future municipality. Over the past 53 years, only eight Village Corporations have seen a municipality created, with the most recent municipality created in 1995. This leaves 11,500 acres throughout 83 villages unable to be developed because it must be held in trust by Alaska in perpetuity for the unlikely creation of a municipality. H.R. 43 would end this requirement for Village Corporations to reconvey lands for a potential municipality and return land already conveyed under this provision to Village Corporations. If returned, Village Corporations anticipate developing this land for housing, community buildings, and other economic development projects. There is widespread support for H.R. 43 within the State of Alaska. The Alaska State Senate unanimously passed S.J. Res. 13 on May 9, 2024, which encouraged the enactment of Federal legislation to return the reconveyed lands to Alaska Native Village Corporations. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy is also supportive of the legislative fix that H.R. 43 would provide. Again, Madam Speaker, I thank the sponsor of this legislation, Mr. Begich, for his work to introduce this bill on the first day of the 119th Congress so that we could bring it to the floor quickly. I appreciate his diligence and swift work on behalf of Alaska, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 43) to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide that Village Corporations shall not be required to convey land in trust to the State of Alaska for the establishment of Municipal Corporations, and for other purposes.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on H.R. 43, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, again, this legislation would amend ANCSA to return the land in question to impacted Alaska Native Village Corporations and eliminate the unnecessary land conveyance requirement in the statute. I thank Mr. Begich for his leadership and working on this important issue for his constituents in Alaska. Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of H.R. 43, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, again, this legislation would ensure that amounts distributed or benefits provided from Alaska Native corporation settlement trusts to Alaska Natives who are blind, disabled, or elders aged 65 and older, or their descendants, are excluded when determining eligibility for means-tested Federal benefits. Again, Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Begich for his work on an important issue for Alaska Natives, I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Begich), who is the lead sponsor of this bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on H.R. 42, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 42) to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to exclude certain payments to aged, blind, or disabled Alaska Natives or descendants of Alaska Natives from being used to determine eligibility for certain programs, and for other purposes.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 42 would exclude the amounts distributed or benefits provided from the Alaska Native corporation, or the ANC, settlement trusts to Alaska Natives who are blind, disabled, 65 years or older, or their descendants, when determining eligibility for means- tested Federal benefits. Federal means-tested benefits include programs such as Supplemental Security Income, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Federal housing benefits. In 1988, Congress amended the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, or ANCSA, to exclude the first $2,000 any Alaska Native individual receives from an ANC when determining eligibility for means-tested Federal benefits. Additionally, the 1988 amendments authorized ANCs to establish settlement trusts to distribute benefits to Alaska Native beneficiaries. Yet, benefits from settlement trusts were not excluded when determining recipient eligibility for government assistance programs, as with the first $2,000 of other benefits Alaska Natives can receive from ANCs. ANCs have brought forward concerns with this discrepancy and the impact it has on Alaska Natives, particularly those who are aged, blind, or disabled. Often these individuals are placed in the position of choosing between accepting the settlement trust income or qualifying for government assistance programs. H.R. 42 would address this oversight and exclude the amounts for benefits distributed to aged, blind, or disabled Alaska Natives from settlement trusts when determining eligibility for means-tested Federal benefits. I thank the sponsor of this legislation, our freshman Member from Alaska, Mr. Begich, for his leadership in addressing this important issue and for introducing this bill on the first day of the 119th Congress so it could quickly be brought to the floor for consideration. Madam Speaker, I support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, H.R. 835 ensures that the hallowed grounds on which the 9/11 Memorial & Museum are located remain a place of remembrance and honor for families, first responders, and Americans from across our great Nation. I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of Representative LaLota's bipartisan bill, the 9/ 11 Memorial and Museum Act. This important legislation honors the victims of the horrendous 9/11 attacks by providing a one-time grant to assist with security costs for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Located in Lower Manhattan, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum occupies the former World Trade Center site. This unique facility serves as the principal tribute of remembrance and honor to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993. A prominent feature of the museum is an art installation with the quote ``No Day Shall Erase You From the Memory of Time.'' These words are much more than a quote. They are a solemn promise from each and every American that we will never forget and will not allow our future Americans to forget the tragic events of 9/11. More than 23 years after these horrific attacks, we still remember the innocent men, women, and children who perished on that September morning. We know that time has not erased the scars, both visible and invisible, carried by the survivors, families of victims, and all who watched those horrific attacks unfold. Representative LaLota's legislation will help ensure that the memories of those we lost on 9/11 remain eternal by providing a one- time grant of between $5 million and $10 million to assist with security costs for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. As the location of one of the most high-profile terrorist attacks in American history, the museum shoulders more than $1 million per month in security costs to protect visitors and the exhibits throughout the museum. This grant, which would come from Department of Homeland Security's existing appropriations, will help reduce the burden of those significant security costs. I thank Representative LaLota for his efforts to advance this legislation. As a native New Yorker and veteran of the global war on terrorism, he has a profound respect and understanding for what it means to never forget the events of September 11, 2001. His bill would help the 9/11 Memorial & Museum continue operations, fund safety measures, and provide free admission for military veterans, first responders, and victims' families. H.R. 835 passed the House unanimously in the 118th Congress, and I urge my colleagues to support it again today. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 835, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota), the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.