The Poarch Band of Creek Indians Land Reaffirmation Act, sponsored by Alabama state Rep. Bradley Byrne, recently was unanimously passed by the state House of Representatives and moved to a Senate committee. The bill will settle any potential legal confusion regarding the tribe’s land in light of an unrelated 2009 U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
Byrne stated, “This legislation is necessary due to the legal uncertainty caused by the Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. This decision has unnecessarily created legal ambiguity about whether the Poarch Creek land is actually in trust or not. To be clear, this legislation would not have any change over the way the Poarch or their land are currently being treated in Alabama. In fact, this legislation simply provides legal certainty to help prevent future challenges regarding the status of the tribe’s land.”
Byrne added the tribe “helps make life better for so many people in our area” through funding community projects, business enterprises that employ thousands of Alabamians and more. He stated the Poarch Creek Indians’ economic impact in Escambia County, Alabama “speaks for itself.”
