{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://strickland.house.gov/2022/09/15/media-press-releases-strickland-advances-chehalis-tribal-rights-bill/", "Strickland Advances Chehalis Tribal Rights Bill", "2022-09-15", "2022", "2022-09", "Democrat", "House", "WA", "Marilyn Strickland", "S001159", "strickland.house.gov", "strickland", "https://strickland.house.gov/category/press_release/", "scraper", "Washington, DC\u2013 Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) introduced a bill to expand economic development and protect treaty rights for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis. This bill will allow them to lease their lands held in trust for up to 99 years.\n\nWatch Congresswoman Strickland\u2019s testimony before the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States here.\n\n\u201cI am proud to stand with the Chehalis Tribe as we work to give them greater access to economic opportunity while strengthening their sovereignty,\u201d said Strickland.\n\n\u201cI whole-heartedly support the Chehalis Tribe\u2019s commitment to spurring economic development in our region,\u201d said Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler. \u201cIt\u2019s an honor to help advance this legislation through Congress that gives the Tribe long-term certainty with the goal of increased job opportunities for folks in Southwest Washington.\u201d\n\nCongresswoman Strickland\u2019s bill H.R. 6964 was brought up for a Legislative Hearing at the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States under the House Committee on Natural Resources on September 14th.\n\nSen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced companion legislation that would similarly extend land lease rights for the Chehalis Tribe, and spoke out in support of the Tribe during the bill\u2019s markup before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on May 19, 2022.\n\n\u201cThis will open the door to more economic opportunities for the Chehalis Tribe. It will allow the Chehalis Tribe to lease their trust lands for up to 99 years, which will help them attract businesses create jobs for Tribal members and the surrounding community. The bill will provide the Tribe with the necessary level of flexibility to help finance and encourage economic development projects,\u201d Sen. Cantwell said during the Senate Indian Affairs Committee markup in May. \u201cThe Chehalis Tribe \u2013 or, I believe, any other Tribes \u2014 should not be hindered because of the 1955 bill that limits Tribal ability to lease their land.\u201d\n\nThis bill would amend the Long-Term Leasing Act of 1955, which prohibits tribes from leasing out their land for more than 25 years. Amending this provision would allow the Chehalis Tribe to lease land for up to 99 years, alleviating financial hardship.\n\nU.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and is the only African-American woman who serves on the House Armed Services Committee. She is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, is one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress, and is the first African-American elected to represent the Pacific Northwest at the federal level.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:08:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://strickland.house.gov/2022/09/15/media-press-releases-strickland-advances-chehalis-tribal-rights-bill/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7776310667395592, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}