HR 226: Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act

HR 226 in plain English: This bill would transfer specified lands and easements in Monroe County, Tennessee, into federal trust for the use and benefit of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The lands include the Sequoyah Museum, the Chota Memorial, and the Tanasi Memorial, along with surrounding land to support cultural programs. The bill preserves the Tennessee Valley Authority's rights over the land while prohibiting gaming on the transferred properties.

Stated purpose

This bill would transfer certain federal lands in Monroe County, Tennessee, into trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, so the tribe can use and manage historic and cultural sites including the Sequoyah Museum, the Chota Memorial, and the Tanasi Memorial.

Key points

• Places lands in Monroe County, Tennessee—including the Sequoyah Museum, Chota Memorial, and Tanasi Memorial—into federal trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
• Preserves the Tennessee Valley Authority's right to conduct river control, development, and intermittent flooding on these lands
• Requires the TVA to be compensated for any lost hydropower capacity resulting from future development of the lands
• Limits U.S. government liability for loss or damage from certain activities, including permanent flooding of adjacent lands
• Prohibits gaming on the lands taken into trust

Arguments supporters make

• Returning these historic lands to Cherokee stewardship corrects a long-standing injustice and honors the tribe's deep cultural and ancestral connection to sites like Chota and Tanasi, former capitals of the Cherokee Nation.
• Placing the land in trust gives the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians direct authority to preserve and interpret their own history and culture, rather than relying on a federal agency to manage sites sacred to their people.
• The bill carefully protects existing TVA water management rights and requires compensation for any hydropower impacts, so it addresses tribal needs without disrupting a major public infrastructure system.

Arguments opponents make

• Transferring federal land to tribal trust removes it from general public ownership and TVA management, which some may argue reduces accountability and public access to lands that affect a shared regional water system.
• The bill's flooding and liability provisions mean the tribe could bear real risks of property damage from TVA water operations with limited legal recourse against the federal government, potentially leaving the tribe in a vulnerable position.
• Critics may question why Congress is acting on maps dated 2015, suggesting a decade-long delay raises questions about whether the boundaries and conditions still reflect current needs or agreements between the parties.

Tradeoffs

The bill gives the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians cultural sovereignty and control over ancestral sites, but the tribe must accept ongoing TVA flooding rights and bear associated risks, while the federal government limits its own liability — balancing tribal self-determination against continued federal infrastructure authority over the same land.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.