Senators Murray, Cantwell Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Repeal Outdated 1834 Ban on Distilleries on Tribal Land

Washington DC – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced bipartisan legislation to repeal an outdated 1834 law that prohibits Native American tribes from building and operating distilleries on their tribal lands.

“This legislation would provide a much-needed fix to an outdated law,” dijo el senador Murray. “I’m proud to help efforts to break down barriers for tribal nations while empowering economic development in our local communities.”

“Getting this outdated law off the books is an important step to supporting tribal self-determination and economic development in Indian Country. When Native American entrepreneurs have the opportunity to create businesses, they thrive and strengthen the communities around them,” dijo el senador Cantwell.

Washington state’s Chehalis Tribe has established plans to build a brewery with an attached restaurant and distillery on tribal lands in Grand Mound, WA. However, the Bureau of Indian Affairs warned the Tribe that the pre-Civil War law prohibited distilleries on Indian lands and that it would be unable to approve documents necessary for the Tribe to operate it. The law currently directs to Bureau of Indian Affairs to “destroy and break up” any distillery on Indian land. As a result, the Tribe chose to not begin construction of the facility until the issue is resolved.

“Me complace que el Senado considere esta legislación atrasada. Permitirá a la tribu Chehalis continuar con sus esfuerzos de desarrollo económico que han demostrado ser beneficiosos, no solo para la tribu y sus miembros, sino también para la comunidad no indígena circundante. El Congreso ha realizado recientemente esfuerzos para derogar muchas de las leyes anticuadas y paternalistas que obstaculizan el desarrollo en el país indio y esta legislación avanza esos esfuerzos., " said Chehalis Tribe Chairman Harry Pickernell Sr.

La legislación presentada por los senadores Murray y Cantwell también está patrocinada por el senador estadounidense Jerry Moran (R-KS), miembro del Comité de Asuntos Indígenas del Senado.

U.S. Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Don Young (R-AK), Denny Heck (D-WA), Tom Cole (R-OK), and Betty McCollum (D-MN) have introduced identical legislation in the House of Representatives. H.R. 5317 has received a hearing and mark-up before the House Natural Resources Committee. It now awaits a vote before the full House of Representatives.

The full text of the bill, S. 3060, can be found AQUÍ.

Para obtener más información sobre el problema, lea este Artículo de opinión del New York Times o este artículo de The Centralia Chronicle.