Congressional Bill H.R. 504 Vetoed

The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida is a federally recognized Native American tribe whose ancestors are Mikasuki‑speaking Creek people who resisted removal and took refuge deep in the Everglades in the 1800s. Their traditional homelands are in the southern Florida Everglades, where clan camps and villages were established on tree islands, many within what later became Everglades National Park. Today the Tribe has reservation and “reserved area” lands along the Tamiami Trail and within/adjacent to the park, and it works with the National Park Service under formal co‑stewardship agreements to manage natural and cultural resources in Everglades National Park while maintaining its sovereign authority and traditional use of the area.

H.R. 504 (the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act) would have amended the 1998 Miccosukee Reserved Area Act to (1) expand the Miccosukee Reserved Area to include the tract of land in Everglades National Park known as Osceola Camp and (2) direct the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Miccosukee Tribe, to take appropriate actions to protect structures in Osceola Camp from flooding. Those actions could include flood‑protection and elevation work on camp infrastructure so that homes and community facilities are not damaged by rising water levels associated with Everglades restoration projects.

Osceola Camp is a Miccosukee residential village that lies inside the boundaries of Everglades National Park, about 11 miles west of the Tamiami Trail/State Road 997 junction. It has long been used and occupied by Miccosukee families, but—until H.R. 504, which was vetoed—it was not part of the congressionally designated Miccosukee Reserved Area created in 1998. Instead, the camp’s use inside the park has been managed through special arrangements and permits with the National Park Service, and its infrastructure has been the subject of an NPS “Osceola Camp Cure Plan” environmental assessment that treats it as a federally funded project area needing flood‑protection upgrades, not as formal tribal trust or reservation land.

The Miccosukee Reserved Area Act of 1998 (Public Law 105‑313, originally H.R. 3055) is a federal law that declared certain lands within Everglades National Park to be the “Miccosukee Reserved Area” and recognized Miccosukee activities there as consistent with the park’s purposes. It authorized the Tribe to occupy and use specified parcels—such as traditional camps including Wind Clan Camp and Jimmy Tiger’s Camp—within Everglades National Park under defined conditions, effectively creating a federally recognized tribal use area inside the park’s boundary. Osceola Camp, however, was not included in that legally defined reserved area in 1998, which is why later legislation like H.R. 504 sought to add it.

The National Register of Historic Places is the U.S. government’s official list of buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical, architectural, archaeological, or cultural significance. To be eligible, a property generally must be at least 50 years old, retain its historic integrity, and meet at least one of the Register’s significance criteria (for example, association with important events or people, or distinctive design).

In the veto context, the Administration argued that none of the current structures at Osceola Camp are more than 50 years old or meet these criteria, so they are not eligible for National Register listing. That claim is used to argue that the buildings do not qualify as historic resources and therefore do not justify dedicated federal spending for preservation‑style flood‑protection projects.

“Returning a bill without my approval” is the formal way a President issues a regular veto. Under the U.S. Constitution, when the President disapproves a bill, he or she sends it back to the chamber where it originated (here, the House of Representatives) with written objections. The bill does not become law unless Congress subsequently overrides the veto.

After the President vetoes H.R. 504, Congress has two basic options:

1. Attempt to override the veto by re‑passing the bill in both the House and Senate with a two‑thirds majority in each chamber. If both chambers reach the two‑thirds threshold, the bill becomes law despite the President’s veto.
2. Decline or fail to override the veto. In that case, H.R. 504 does not become law, and supporters would have to reintroduce similar legislation in a future session if they want to try again.