Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act

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Bill ID: 119/hr/226

Last Updated: July 22, 2026

Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act

HR. 226, 119th Congress — read as touching Gambling & Sports Betting.

The sponsor

Rep. Fleischmann, Charles J. "Chuck" [R-TN-3]

Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.

The money

$77,100 raised

25 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.

The alignment

70% match to Project 2025

This bill's text tracks the "Environmental Protection Agency" section, p. 473-475 of the Mandate for Leadership.

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.

February 4, 2025

Introduced

Committee Review

Floor Action

Passed House

Senate Review

📍 Current Status

Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Summary Style:

**HR 226 Analysis**

As a visionary entrepreneur and thought leader, I'll dissect the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act (HR 226) through the lens of wealth creation, regulatory efficiency, and strategic opportunity.

**Main Purpose & Objectives** The bill aims to transfer approximately 76 acres of federal land in Tennessee to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, allowing them to manage and utilize these lands for cultural, historical, and recreational purposes. The primary objective is to provide a framework for the tribe to reacquire ancestral lands, promoting self-determination and economic development.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law** The bill:

1. Takes certain federal lands into trust for the benefit of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. 2. Establishes permanent easements for specific areas, ensuring access and use rights for the tribe. 3. Outlines conditions for land use, including restrictions on flooding, environmental impact, and cultural resource management.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders**

1. **Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians**: The primary beneficiary, gaining control over ancestral lands and opportunities for economic development. 2. **Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)**: Responsible for managing the transferred lands and ensuring compliance with the bill's provisions. 3. **Federal Government**: Transfers ownership and management responsibilities to the tribe, potentially reducing federal liabilities.

**Potential Impact & Implications**

1. **Economic Opportunities**: The transfer of land could create new economic opportunities for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, such as tourism development, cultural events, and entrepreneurship. 2. **Regulatory Efficiency**: By consolidating land ownership and management under tribal control, regulatory burdens may decrease, allowing for more efficient decision-making. 3. **Cultural Preservation**: The bill promotes the preservation of Cherokee history and culture, ensuring the protection of ancestral lands and artifacts.

However, as a pragmatic observer, I must note that this legislation:

1. **Fosters Tribal Dependence**: By relying on federal land transfers, the tribe may remain dependent on government support rather than developing self-sustaining economic models. 2. **Raises Questions about Property Rights**: The bill's provisions may blur lines between tribal and federal property rights, potentially creating future conflicts.

Ultimately, HR 226 represents a calculated risk for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, offering opportunities for growth and self-determination while navigating complex regulatory and cultural landscapes. As a visionary entrepreneur, I would advise stakeholders to carefully weigh the potential benefits against the risks and challenges associated with this legislation.

💰 Campaign Finance Network

Rep. Fleischmann, Charles J. "Chuck" [R-TN-3]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions

$77,100

23 donors

PACs

Organizations

$11,100

Committees

Individuals

$66,000

No PAC contributions found

EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS

2 transactions

$5,800

THE CHICKASAW NATION

1 transaction

$3,300

BARKER FOR SHERIFF

1 transaction

$1,000

CARBON RIVERS, INC.

1 transaction

$1,000

No committee contributions found

BLAVATNIK, LEONARD

2 transactions

$6,600

HIGGINS, KENNETH

1 transaction

$3,300

HIGGINS, PHILIP

1 transaction

$3,300

JOHNSTON, BENJAMIN

1 transaction

$3,300

JONES, JOHN BAILEY

1 transaction

$3,300

RICHARDS, CHRISTINE

1 transaction

$3,300

RICHARDS, DANIEL

1 transaction

$3,300

THORNTON, JANE

1 transaction

$3,300

THORNTON, STEVEN

1 transaction

$3,300

GATES, WILLIAM III

1 transaction

$3,300

BURNETTE, BRENT

1 transaction

$3,300

BURNETTE, JERRY

1 transaction

$3,300

BURNETTE, THOMAS JR.

1 transaction

$3,300

COLLERAN, JOHN

1 transaction

$3,300

DELAY, WILLIAM T

1 transaction

$3,300

HASLAM, JAMES II

1 transaction

$3,300

LIPMAN, ROBERT S

1 transaction

$3,300

MORRIS, GLENN H

1 transaction

$3,300

MORRIS, SUZANNE

1 transaction

$3,300

Donor Network - Rep. Fleischmann, Charles J. "Chuck" [R-TN-3]

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Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

Showing 48 nodes and 25 connections (51 secondary connections hidden)

Total contributions: $77,100

Top Donors - Rep. Fleischmann, Charles J. "Chuck" [R-TN-3]

Showing top 23 donors by contribution amount

4 Orgs19 Individuals

Industry Impact

Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 1 harmed.

−Gambling & Sports Bettingconfidence 0.95
Section 7 prohibits class II or class III gaming on lands subject to the Act, directly restricting gambling activities that could be conducted by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on trust lands.

Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document.AI-enhanced analysis provides detailed alignment ratings.

Environmental Protection Agency

Moderate

Vector: 57%

Pages: 473-475AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"Both the bill and the Project 2025 EPA reforms aim to strengthen tribal self-determination and the federal-tribal relationship, though the bill focuses on land trust and cultural heritage while the policy centers on EPA organizational changes for tribal programs."

Key themes:tribal sovereigntyself-governancefederal-tribal partnershipcapacity buildingcultural heritage

Department of the Interior

Moderate

Vector: 56%

Pages: 563-565AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"Both the bill and the Project 2025 policy address federal obligations to transfer land to Native tribes to strengthen tribal sovereignty and address historical injustices, though the policy focuses on Alaska Native oil and mineral development while the bill centers on cultural land restoration for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians."

Key themes:tribal land restorationfederal trust responsibilitytribal sovereigntycultural heritage preservationaddressing historical tribal claims

Environmental Protection Agency

Moderate

Vector: 55%

Pages: 473-475AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill supports tribal sovereignty and land management, which aligns with Project 2025's goal of strengthening the American Indian Office within the EPA to better serve tribal nations, though it does not directly involve EPA programs or environmental regulation."

Key themes:tribal sovereigntyAmerican Indian Officeland managementfederal-tribal relations

— 440 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise l Repeal Inflation Reduction Act programs providing grants for environmental science activities. AMERICAN INDIAN OFFICE (AIO) AIO is a vital EPA function. It is mandated to carry out a 1992 act of Congress that administers the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program.51 Because of the sovereign-to-sovereign relationship between the U.S. government and fed- erally recognized sovereign Indian nations, this act’s purpose is to assist tribes in developing the capacity to manage their own tribal environmental protection programs and set them up to implement programs for the management of solid and hazardous waste. This office also is the chief office under which the EPA’s 1984 Indian Policy functions. Needed Reforms AIO should be significantly elevated as a stand-alone EPA Assistant Admin- istrator office. This would send a clear message to American Indians and Alaska Native Villages that the agency takes seriously the environmental issues plaguing Indian Country. While designated a “headquarters” office with direct reporting to the Administrator, its location should be in the American West, closer to most tribal nations. This could include Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Dallas, Texas; or Denver, Colorado. The state of Oklahoma is considered the tribal center of Amer- ica and is home to 39 federally recognized tribes, including the “Five Civilized Tribes.” The other two options are also close to numerous tribes and home to EPA regional offices. New Policies All EPA tribal grants and tribal matters should be run from this office as a one- stop-shop for all tribal affairs. Budget and Personnel AIO should be led by a politically appointed, Senate-confirmed Assistant Admin- istrator, ideally one with strong ties to a federally recognized tribe. He or she should have political deputies and staff to assist the political leadership in carrying out agency policies. Career EPA tribal staff are located throughout the nation in all regional offices but are paid mostly under the budget of the current Office of International and Tribal Affairs, which will be significantly restructured as international functions are reabsorbed into the appropriate media offices (for example, Air, Water, and Land and Emergency Management). Because of this, tribal staff should be fully under the authority of the new American Indian Office and its Assistant Admin- istrator, not the regional offices. — 441 — Environmental Protection Agency OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL (OGC) OGC serves as the chief legal adviser to EPA’s policymaking officials. It also pro- vides legal support to regional actions and enforcement and compliance litigation. OGC lawyers represent the agency in court alongside the Department of Justice, typically defending agency actions. Needed Reforms and New Policies l Review EPA’s Environmental Justice and Title VI authority. Wherever possible, the Biden Administration is broadening EPA’s use and interpretation of Environmental Justice (EJ)52 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 196453 beyond long-standing understandings of the legal limits of that authority. As a threshold matter, there is an opportunity to redefine EJ as a tool for the agency to prioritize environmental protection efforts and assistance to communities in proximity to pollution or with the greatest need for additional protection. Allocations of agency resources, increased EPA enforcement, and/or agency distribution of grants should be based on neutral constitutional principles. In 2023, the Supreme Court is expected to provide guidance on the constitutionality of race-based discrimination as it considers Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina.54 Accordingly, the next Administration should pause and review all ongoing EJ and Title VI actions to ensure that they are consistent with any forthcoming SCOTUS decision. l Establish a policy of legally speaking with one voice. Some EPA offices (for example, the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and the Offices of Regional Counsel) assert legal positions and interpretations of the law that conflict with an Administration’s interpretation as articulated by OGC with input from program offices. It is unacceptable for the agency to have inconsistent legal positions, particularly with respect to key interpretative issues. All attorneys with authority to represent EPA—not necessarily all attorneys—should therefore be housed in OGC. These offices include: 1. The Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA). OECA was established during the Clinton Administration. Enforcement attorneys tend to take legal positions to win cases or obtain settlements that may be inconsistent with those of OGC and program offices. OECA attorneys should be moved into OGC. Additionally, non-attorney program staff in OECA could be moved into their relevant program offices (for example, the Clean Air Act Enforcement Advisor could

Department of the Interior

Weak

Vector: 57%

Pages: 563-565AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill focuses on transferring federal lands to a tribe for cultural preservation, while the Project 2025 Interior section emphasizes state control of Alaska resources, reversing the 30 by 30 plan, and limiting federal land designations. Both involve reallocating federal land management, but their specific goals and geographic scopes differ significantly."

Key themes:federal land transfertribal sovereigntystate/local controlcultural heritage

— 531 — Department of the Interior Wildlife and Waters. Throughout Alaska’s history, the federal government has treated Alaska as less than a sovereign state. This is especially the case when it comes to two of Alaska’s most valued resources, its wildlife and its waters. Immediate action is required to end, at least in part, this injustice. A new Admin- istration should: l Revoke National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules regarding predator control and bear baiting, which are matters for state regulation. Such revocation is permitted under the 2017 Congressional Review Act.62 l Recognize Alaska’s authority to manage fish and game on all federal lands in accordance with ANILCA as during the Reagan Administration, when each DOI agency in Alaska signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game ceding to the state the lead on fish and wildlife management matters.63 l Issue a secretarial order declaring navigable waters in Alaska to be owned by the state so that the lands beneath these waters belong to Alaska. This will force the BLM to prove that water is not navigable, since in the case of non-navigability, any submerged lands belong to the BLM. Currently, BLM requires Alaska to prove navigability at its own expense—including the BLM’s preposterous assertion that the mighty Yukon River is non-navigable. l Reinstate President Trump’s 2020 Alaska Roadless Rule64 for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, which was replaced by a Biden Roadless Rule that continues a 2001 Clinton rule affecting 9.37 million of the forest’s 16.7 million acres.65 The Clinton rule affects an area where communities are in small islands with no road access. It has prevented multiple infrastructure projects, including roads, electric transmission lines, and water and sewer projects, and it forces residents to use a heavily subsidized ferry system. Logging has been shut down to the extent that New York harvests more timber than does all of Alaska. OTHER ACTIONS The 30 by 30 Plan.66 President Biden’s Executive Order 14008 (30 by 30 plan)67 requires that the federal government, which already owns one-third of the country: (1) remove vast amounts of private property from productive use; and (2) end congressionally mandated uses of all federal land. The end result will be “total federal control of an additional 440 million acres of land or oceans in the U.S. by 2030.”68 — 532 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise Although the new President should vacate that order, DOI under a conservative President must take immediate action on the 30 by 30 plan by vacating a secre- tarial order issued by the Biden DOI69 that eliminated the Trump Administration’s requirement for the approval of state and local governments before federal acquisi- tion of private property with monies from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.70 National Monument Designations. As has every Democratic President before him beginning with Jimmy Carter, Joe Biden has abused his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906. Like the outrageous, unilateral withdrawals from public use of multiple use federal land under the Carter, Clinton, and Obama Administrations, Biden’s first national monument was one in Colorado—adopted over the objections of scores of local groups and at least one American Indian tribe.71 In the days before the 2024 election, Biden will likely designate more western monuments. Although President Trump courageously ordered a review of national mon- ument designations, the result of that review was insufficient in that only two national monuments in one state (Utah) were adjusted.72 Monuments in Maine and Oregon, for example, should have been adjusted downward given the finding of Secretary Ryan Zinke’s review that they were improperly designated. The new Administration’s review will permit a fresh look at past monument decrees and new ones by President Biden. Furthermore, the new Administration must vigorously defend the downward adjustments it makes to permit a ruling on a President’s authority to reduce the size of national monuments by the U.S. Supreme Court. Finally, the new Administration must seek repeal of the Antiquities Act of 1906, which permitted emergency action by a President long before the statutory author- ity existed for the protection of special federal lands, such as those with wild and scenic rivers, endangered specials, or other unique places. Moreover, in recent years, Congress has designated as national monuments those areas deserving of such congressional action. Oregon and California Lands Act. One national monument worthy of down- ward adjustment is in Oregon, where its designation and subsequent expansion interfere with the federal obligation to residents to harvest timber on its BLM lands. A federal district court ruled in 2019 that land subject to the Oregon and California (O&C) Grant Lands Act of 193773 was set aside by Congress to be har- vested for the benefit of the people of Oregon. Specifically, those federal lands are to be “managed…for permanent forest production” and its timber “sold, cut, and removed in conformity with the princip[le] of sustained yield.”74 As the district court concluded,75 beginning in 1990, the federal government erected a trifecta of illegal barriers to the accomplishment of the congressional mandate, beginning with a response to the listing of the northern spotted owl,76 continuing a decade later with the designation of the Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument,77 and concluding in 2017 with an expansion of that monument.78 In

Department of the Interior

Weak

Vector: 56%

Pages: 563-565AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill focuses on returning ancestral lands to a Native American tribe in Tennessee for cultural preservation and tribal sovereignty, while Project 2025's Interior section emphasizes Alaska-specific land transfers, resource development, and state control over federal lands in Alaska. There is no direct thematic or geographic overlap."

Key themes:federal land managementtribal or state land rightsDepartment of the Interior authority

— 530 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise Despite the passage of nearly 40 years since the end of the Reagan Adminis- tration, the federal government has yet to fulfill its statutory obligation to Alaska and Alaska Natives—specifically, each group has 5 million acres of entitlement remaining. Standing in the way are Public Land Orders (PLOs) issued by the BLM seizing that land for the agency. Those PLOs must be lifted to permit Alaska and Alaska Natives to select what was promised by Congress. For example, revocation of PLO 515057 will provide the state of Alaska 1.3 million acres of its remaining state entitlement. This revocation should be a top priority. BLM recommended this revocation in the 2006 report to Congress based on the Alaska Land Transfer Acceleration Act, and the Interior Secretary has authority to revoke based on the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act under section d(1).58 All other remaining BLM PLOs—all of which are more than 50 years old—should be revoked immediately. Alaska has untapped potential for increased oil production, which is important not just to the revitalization of the nation’s energy sector but is vital to the Alaskan economy. One-quarter of Alaska’s jobs are in the oil industry, and half of its overall economy depends on that industry. Without oil production, the Alaskan economy would be half its size. A new Administration must take the following actions immediately: l Approve the 2020 National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Integrated Activity Plan (NPRA-IAP) by resigning the Record of Decision. (Secretary Haaland’s order reverted to the 2013 IAP, the science for which is out of date, unlike the 2020 IAP.) l Reinstate the 2020 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by secretarial order and lift the suspension of the leases. l Approve the 2020 Willow EIS, the largest pending oil and gas projection in the United States in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, and expand approval from three to five drilling pads.59 Minerals. Alaska is not just blessed with an abundance of oil, it has vast untapped mineral potential. Therefore, the new Administration must immedi- ately approve the Ambler Road Project60 across BLM-managed lands, pursuant to the Secretary’s authority under the ANILCA and based on the Final Envi- ronmental Impact Statement on the project.61 This will permit construction of a new 211-mile roadway on the south side of the Brooks Range, west from the Dalton Highway to the south bank of the Ambler River, and open the area only to mining-related industrial uses, providing high-paying jobs in an area known for unemployment. — 531 — Department of the Interior Wildlife and Waters. Throughout Alaska’s history, the federal government has treated Alaska as less than a sovereign state. This is especially the case when it comes to two of Alaska’s most valued resources, its wildlife and its waters. Immediate action is required to end, at least in part, this injustice. A new Admin- istration should: l Revoke National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules regarding predator control and bear baiting, which are matters for state regulation. Such revocation is permitted under the 2017 Congressional Review Act.62 l Recognize Alaska’s authority to manage fish and game on all federal lands in accordance with ANILCA as during the Reagan Administration, when each DOI agency in Alaska signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game ceding to the state the lead on fish and wildlife management matters.63 l Issue a secretarial order declaring navigable waters in Alaska to be owned by the state so that the lands beneath these waters belong to Alaska. This will force the BLM to prove that water is not navigable, since in the case of non-navigability, any submerged lands belong to the BLM. Currently, BLM requires Alaska to prove navigability at its own expense—including the BLM’s preposterous assertion that the mighty Yukon River is non-navigable. l Reinstate President Trump’s 2020 Alaska Roadless Rule64 for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, which was replaced by a Biden Roadless Rule that continues a 2001 Clinton rule affecting 9.37 million of the forest’s 16.7 million acres.65 The Clinton rule affects an area where communities are in small islands with no road access. It has prevented multiple infrastructure projects, including roads, electric transmission lines, and water and sewer projects, and it forces residents to use a heavily subsidized ferry system. Logging has been shut down to the extent that New York harvests more timber than does all of Alaska. OTHER ACTIONS The 30 by 30 Plan.66 President Biden’s Executive Order 14008 (30 by 30 plan)67 requires that the federal government, which already owns one-third of the country: (1) remove vast amounts of private property from productive use; and (2) end congressionally mandated uses of all federal land. The end result will be “total federal control of an additional 440 million acres of land or oceans in the U.S. by 2030.”68

Showing 3 of 5 policy matches

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using a hybrid approach: initial candidates are found using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text, then an AI model (Llama 3.1 70B) provides detailed alignment ratings and analysis. Ratings range from 1 (minimal alignment) to 5 (very strong alignment). This analysis does not imply direct causation or intent.

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