Bill Summary
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act is a law that confirms and reaffirms the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's reservation and trust land in Massachusetts. This legislation ratifies and confirms the actions of the Secretary of the Interior in taking the land into trust for the tribe. It also states that any legal actions against the tribe's land shall be dismissed and that all laws applicable to Native American tribes will apply to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, except for any conflicts with a previous intergovernmental agreement between the tribe and the town of Mashpee. This Act was passed by the House of Representatives in 2019.
Possible Impacts
1. Limited Access to Land: The reaffirmation of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe reservation through this act could limit access to the land for non-tribal members and could potentially affect people who have been using the land for recreation or other purposes.
2. Dismissal of Pending Lawsuits: The act states that any lawsuits relating to the land described in subsection (a) shall be promptly dismissed. This could affect people who may have legal claims or disputes related to the land and could prevent them from seeking legal recourse.
3. Cultural and Legal Differences: The act states that all laws and regulations of the United States will be applicable to the tribe and tribal members, except for those that are inconsistent with the terms of the Intergovernmental Agreement between the tribe and the town of Mashpee. This could create cultural and legal differences between the tribe and the surrounding community, which may affect relationships and interactions between people from different backgrounds.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 312 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 92
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 312
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 16, 2019
Received; read the first time
May 20, 2019
Read the second time and placed on the calendar
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To reaffirm the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe reservation, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation
Reaffirmation Act''.
SEC. 2. REAFFIRMATION OF INDIAN TRUST LAND.
(a) In General.--The taking of land into trust by the United States
for the benefit of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts as
described in the final Notice of Reservation Proclamation (81 Fed. Reg.
948; January 8, 2016) is reaffirmed as trust land and the actions of
the Secretary of the Interior in taking that land into trust are
ratified and confirmed.
(b) Application.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an
action (including an action pending in a Federal court as of the date
of enactment of this Act) relating to the land described in subsection
(a) shall not be filed or maintained in a Federal court and shall be
promptly dismissed.
(c) Applicability of Laws.--All laws (including regulations) of the
United States of general applicability to Indians or nations, Indian
Tribes, or bands of Indians (including the Act of June 18, 1934 (25
U.S.C. 5101 et seq.)), shall be applicable to the Tribe and Tribal
members, except that to the extent such laws and regulations are
inconsistent with the terms of the Intergovernmental Agreement, dated
April 22, 2008, by and between the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Town
of Mashpee, Massachusetts, the terms of that Intergovernmental
Agreement shall control.
Passed the House of Representatives May 15, 2019.
Attest:
CHERYL L. JOHNSON,
Clerk.
Calendar No. 92
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 312
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To reaffirm the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe reservation, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
May 20, 2019
Read the second time and placed on the calendar