Bill > HR10492

This bill proposes to amend the Long-Term Leasing Act of 1955 to expand leasing authority for two specific Native American tribes: the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), both located in Massachusetts. By adding these tribes' reservations to the existing legislation, the bill would allow these tribes to lease their trust lands for up to 99 years, which can provide significant economic opportunities and flexibility in land use. Trust lands are special parcels of land held by the federal government for the benefit of a specific Native American tribe, and this amendment would give these two tribes the same long-term leasing rights that other tribes already enjoy under the original 1955 Act. The change is relatively straightforward, simply inserting the names of these two specific tribal reservations into the existing legal text, which will enable them to enter into longer-term leases that could potentially support economic development, housing, or other strategic land uses.