Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene introduced bipartisan legislation to help boost efforts to revitalize the economies of tribal communities.

Called the Indian Country Economic Revitalization Act, the bill would direct the Department of Commerce to produce a comprehensive report that identifies policies and strategies for promoting the sustained growth of the economies of Indian tribes and Indian lands.

“The federal government has a responsibility to our tribal communities to do everything we can to strengthen their economies, spur job growth and expand economic opportunity,” said DelBene. “To help our tribes prosper,  we should be a partner in crafting long-term strategies to identify the hurdles tribal economies face and lay out a clear roadmap to overcome them – this is what this commonsense bill will do.”

In 2000, the Native American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act had the limited effect of establishing an office to coordinate Federal programs related to Indian economic development. However, to have a meaningful impact, more must be done to ensure success for Indian tribes. The Indian Country Economic Revitalization Act would call for a report from the Department of Commerce one year after passage of the bill (and every three years after) that studies recommendations for promoting sustained growth and development of the economies of Indian tribes and Indian lands.

"I want to thank Reps. DelBene, Reichert, and McCollum for sponsoring this important legislation to create a national tribal economic development policy. For too long, Indian Country has suffered economically with no long-term plan for recovery. The Lummi Nation, like many other tribal nations in the United States, is capable and willing to do our share to improve our economic condition,” said Lummi Nation Chairman Tim Ballew. “But we need our treaty partner and trustee, the U.S. Government, to create incentives for investment on our lands and to fix its broken legal infrastructure that makes economic growth difficult. I believe that this legislation is a step in the right direction and urge Congress and the Obama Administration to support it." 

The report would include but would not be limited to:

• Data on Indian business development and employment conducted by the Census.
• Relevant data voluntarily provided by Indian tribes, Indian-owned businesses, and other tribal business entities.
• An assessment of existing structural advantages and barriers to economic development, including an analysis of the economic effects of the following:
  • Judicial decisions and administrative actions authorizing the application of laws of general applicability to economic development activities occurring on Indian lands, in places with respect to which Congress has not expressly authorized such application. 
  • Judicial decisions and actions by the IRS authorizing the taxation of Indian income and economic development activities within Indian lands in places with respect to which Federal law does not expressly authorize such taxation.
  • Tax incentives including wage credits, accelerated depreciation deductions, tax-exempt bonds and; new market tax credits including an assessment of how tribal empowerment zones may impact economic development.
  • Analysis of Indian access to adequate infrastructure, affordable energy, educational opportunities, and investment capital.

The Indian Country Economic Revitalization Act is also being sponsored by Congressman Dave Reichert, (WA-08) and Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MI-04), the Co-Chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus. It has been endorsed by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI).