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Who Should Take Credit for the HEARTH Act?

Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief in Entertainment. Discussion »

This past Monday, President Barack Obama signed HR 205, the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership legislation, known as the HEARTH Act of 2012, in the Oval Office.

This historic Act allows American Indian tribes to lease restricted lands for residential, business, public, religious, educational, or recreational purposes without the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, which promotes self-determination for tribes.

The story the Native News Network ran on Tuesday morning prompted Ron Andrade, the executive director of the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission, to write a Guest Commentary that we ran on Thursday morning.

Andrade, who feels President Obama has taken way too much credit for the HEARTH Act writes:

"The American Indian community keeps hearing all the doomsday news that the Republicans will kill any Indian bill the Democrats bring forward in the Republican controlled House. The same thing is said in a Democratic controlled Senate. But the passage of the HEARTH bill proved just the opposite."

Standing behind the President, from left, are:

Bryan Newland, Senior Policy Advisor at the Department of the Interior;
Governor Randall Vicente, Pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico;
David Hayes, Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior;
Jefferson Keel, President of the National Congress of American Indians;
Rep. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico;
Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii;
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar;
Cheryl Causley, Chairperson of the National American Indian Housing Council;
Governor Gregory Mendoza, Gila River Indian Community of Arizona; and
Del Laverdure, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior.

The picture used by the Native News Network is an official White House Photo by Pete Souza.

posted August 4, 2012 6:40 am edt