[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 120 (Monday, July 14, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H3228-H3230]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MICCOSUKEE RESERVED AREA AMENDMENTS ACT
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 504) to amend the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act to authorize
the expansion of the Miccosukee Reserved Area and to carry out
activities to protect structures within the Osceola Camp from flooding,
and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 504
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 ``Miccosukee Reserved Area
Amendments Act''.
SEC. 2. MICCOSUKEE RESERVED AREA ADDITION.
Section 4(4) of the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act (16 U.S.C.
410 note; Public Law 105-313) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
[[Page H3229]]
``(C) Additional area.--In addition to the land described
in subparagraph (B), the term `Miccosukee Reserved Area' or
`MRA' includes the portion of the Park that is known as
`Osceola Camp' and is depicted on the map entitled
`Everglades National Park, Proposed Expansion-Miccosukee
Reserved Area, Osceola Camp', numbered 160/188443, and dated
July 2023, copies of which shall--
``(i) be kept available for public inspection in the
offices of the National Park Service; and
``(ii) be filed with appropriate officers of Miami-Dade
County and the Tribe.''.
SEC. 3. PROTECTION OF THE OSCEOLA CAMP FROM FLOODING.
Section 8 of the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act (16 U.S.C.
410 note; Public Law 105-313) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
``(j) Protection of Osceola Camp From Flooding.--Not later
than 2 years after the date of enactment of this subsection,
the Secretary, in consultation with the Tribe, shall take
appropriate actions to protect structures within the area
described in section 4(4)(C) from flooding.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.
General Leave
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 504, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 504, the Miccosukee Reserved Area
Amendments Act sponsored by Representative Gimenez. This bill would
amend the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act, or MRAA, to include the Osceola
Camp Tribal village as part of the Miccosukee Reserved Area. It would
also direct the Secretary of the Interior to consult with the Tribe to
protect the village from flooding.
The Miccosukee Tribe has a long history in Florida. Oral history has
the Tribe initiating in the northern portion of Florida, but they later
settled in the Everglades following the Seminole wars.
Congress passed the MRAA in 1998, which gave the Tribe permanent
residency in the Everglades. The MRAA also declared the Miccosukee
Reserved Area as Indian Country, yet the Federal Government still held
the right to engage in restoration and protection activities in the
area.
The area known as the Osceola Camp was not included in the MRAA
despite serving as a residential Tribal village with key historical and
ancestral ties to the Tribe. The National Park Service is already
working with the Tribe to protect this residential area from flooding.
Once the camp is incorporated into the Miccosukee Reserved Area, the
Tribe will be able to work alongside the Department of the Interior to
prevent flooding, preserve the village's infrastructure, and ensure
that the village can be inhabited for years to come.
I thank Representative Gimenez for his work on this important bill. I
support the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure,
Washington, DC, June 27, 2025.
Hon. Bruce Westerman,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Westerman: I am writing to you concerning
H.R. 504, the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act. The
bill was referred primarily to the Committee on Natural
Resources, with additional referral to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure. Specifically, there are
provisions of H.R. 504 that fall within the Rule X
jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure.
I recognize and appreciate your desire to bring this
legislation before the House of Representatives in an
expeditious manner, and accordingly, agree the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure shall be discharged from
further consideration of the bill. However, this is
conditional on our mutual understanding that by foregoing
consideration of H.R. 504 at this time, we do not waive any
jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or
similar legislation that falls with the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure's Rule X jurisdiction, and
the Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved on
this or similar legislation as it moves forward. Further,
this does not prejudice the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure with respect to the appointment of conferees
and should a conference on the bill be necessary, I would
appreciate your agreement to support my request to have the
Committee represented on the conference committee.
Finally, I would ask that a copy of this letter and your
response acknowledging our jurisdictional interest in the
bill be included in the Committee Report and Congressional
Record during consideration of H.R. 504 on the House floor.
Sincerely,
Sam Graves,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Natural Resources,
Washington, DC, June 30, 2025.
Hon. Sam Graves,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Graves: I write regarding H.R. 504, the
``Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act,'' which was
ordered reported by the Committee on Natural Resources on
June 25, 2025.
I recognize that the bill contains provisions that fall
within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure and appreciate your willingness to forgo
further consideration of the bill. I acknowledge that the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will not
formally consider H.R. 504 and agree that the inaction of
your Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any
jurisdiction over the subject matter contained therein.
I am pleased to support your request to name members of the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to any
conference committee to consider such provisions. I will
ensure that our exchange of letters is included in the
Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill
and will include such letters in the committee report on H.R.
504. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this
legislation.
Sincerely,
Bruce Westerman,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources.
Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 504 would amend the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act to
expand the boundaries of the Miccosukee Reserved Area within the
Everglades National Park. This expansion would ensure that the
Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida can access the Osceola Camp, a
historic Tribal village that was, unfortunately, excluded from the
original reserved area, without requiring the Tribe to obtain special
use permits.
H.R. 504 would also direct the Department of the Interior to
implement needed flood control measures to protect homes and structures
within this village.
For centuries, the Miccosukee Tribe's way of life has been challenged
through forced relocation, damage to wetland drainage projects, and the
need to acquire special use permits to reside in their own villages.
In 1998, Congress established the Miccosukee Reserved Area, granting
the Tribe rights to much of their ancestral lands within the park while
supporting environmental restoration. However, not all of the Tribe's
villages were included within the reserved area.
H.R. 504 would correct this oversight by incorporating Osceola Camp
into the reserved area, a critical step toward honoring Tribal
sovereignty, addressing ongoing governance concerns and environmental
challenges.
This bill underscores the importance of righting historical wrongs
and supporting Tribal communities. I encourage my colleagues to vote
``yes'' on the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gimenez), the lead sponsor of the bill.
Mr. GIMENEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill,
H.R. 504, the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act. This bipartisan
legislation ensures that the Miccosukee Tribe has the legal authority
to manage, protect, and preserve their land and continue their
traditional way of life.
Specifically, the bill amends the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act to
include the Osceola Camp, an inhabited Tribal village located within
the heart of Florida's Everglades. The Osceola Camp is not only home to
Tribal members, but it is also a site of historical and cultural
importance.
[[Page H3230]]
Including this land in the reserved area will empower the Tribe to
protect their community, manage water flow into the Everglades National
Park, and raise structures within the camp to prevent catastrophic
flooding. The Everglades is the largest subtropical wilderness in the
continental United States and one of the most unique ecosystems on the
planet.
For generations, the Miccosukee Tribe has served as a responsible
steward of the fragile environment. Their leadership in conservation,
water management, and environmental protection has helped preserve the
natural beauty, the biodiversity, and the cultural heritage of south
Florida.
This bill is about fairness and conservation. It ensures the
Miccosukee Tribe has the autonomy to protect their home, their land,
and their way of life.
I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto) for cosponsoring this
measure. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 504.
Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, this legislation would amend the
Miccosukee Reserved Area Act to include the Osceola Camp as part of the
Miccosukee Reserved Area. This bill would also help with the important
work to mitigate the impact of flooding on the structures in the area.
Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of H.R. 504 and yield back the balance
of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 504.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________