Fleischmann Again Passes Bill In The House To Restore Cherokee Land

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann praised the passage by the House of his bill H.R. 226, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act. It passed the House by a unanimous voice vote. It marks the fifth time that the bill "to restore sacred land to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians" has passed the House.

He said, “It is long past time for Congress to fulfill its promise to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and return the sacred land taken forcibly from them due to tragic and misguided federal policies of the past. Today marks the fifth consecutive time that my bill to restore 76.1 acres of land to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has overwhelming passed the House of Representatives, and it is time for the Senate to pass this bill and send it to President Trump’s desk for him to sign into law.

“It is on these 76.1 acres that the Cherokee People have honored the birth and life of Sequoyah, one of the most influential and important Native Americans to have lived. The Eastern Band of Cherokee has been promised repeatedly that this sacred land will be returned to them, and the Eastern Band has committed to improving the site to include expanding the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum so more Americans can learn and know about the important legacy of Sequoyah and the history of the Cherokee People. Still, so far, Congress has not lived up to its repeated promises to return this land. I strongly urge my colleagues in the Senate to realize the urgent importance of passing this bill and finally correct a historic wrong by returning this sacred land to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.”

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