WY US Representative Harriet Hageman Trying To Provide Economic Opportunities For Native Americans

Wyoming’s lone U.S. Representative says she’s trying to provide Native American tribes and Alaskan natives more autonomy or letting them have more self-government.

Harriet Hageman is chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs, which oversees all matters regarding Native Americans and Alaskan natives, which number more than 2-million altogether.

Republicans on the subcommittee are working to ensure freedom and economic development opportunities for tribes across the country.

Hageman says one of the US Government obstacles that she’s trying to alter, is one that currently limits tribes from leasing their lands for more than 25 years.

She adds under current law, tribes can’t build hard infrastructure.

“People aren’t going to come in and build convenience stores or a swimming pool or a distillery or any kinds of businesses because they can’t, so I’ve introduced a bill to extend that to 99 years, to provide our tribes with more independent financial autonomy, to expand their ability for economic growth and development and that’s something that has been extremely positive with all of the tribes that I have met with.”

Hageman adds another bill she is working on would limit the involvement that the Secretary of Interior’s Office would have, when Native Americans want to buy, sell or trade their fee land, which is the highest possible type of land ownership that one can have.