Native AmericansLand use and conservationFederal-Indian relationsForests, forestry, treesIndian lands and resources rights
Why This Matters
This bill updates the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act to refine key definitions and give tribes and tribal organizations more control over managing trust lands, resources, and funds.
Who this affects
Indian tribes · tribal organizations · federal agencies
What changes is this bill making?
1Updates the definition of Indian tribe to match the list under the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 and adds a new definition for tribal organization that must be approved by each tribe it represents.
2Allows tribal organizations to submit and carry out trust asset management plans on behalf of tribes if the tribe’s governing body approves.
3Permits tribes or their organizations to amend approved trust asset management plans and requires the Secretary of the Interior to review proposed changes under existing criteria.
4Ensures tribes operating under approved plans remain eligible for federal funding on the same basis as tribes without a plan.
5Defines trust assets to include lands, natural resources, trust funds, and any resource in approved management plans, and clarifies that tribes can manage these assets, including forest management and leasing, with limited federal approval and required public notice and comment on forest plans.
6Affirms that nothing in this law changes the United States’ trust responsibility to Indian tribes.
