A bill to authorize leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for federally recognized Indian Tribes.
- Bill Number
- S. 4813
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Native Americans
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-17: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-06T20:00:18Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation authorizes leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for all federally recognized Indian Tribes, expanding an existing exception in federal leasing law.
Key Provisions
- Amends subsection (a) of the first section of the Act of August 9, 1955 (25 U.S.C. 415(a)) by adding language after the reference to the Chehalis Reservation.
- Extends the 99-year lease authority to land held in trust for any Indian tribe listed by the Secretary of the Interior under section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131).
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- The amendment broadens the scope of 25 U.S.C. 415(a), which previously limited 99-year leases to specific tribes or reservations, to include all federally recognized tribes.
- No other sections of the Act or related statutes are altered.
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies: The Department of the Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs would process and approve longer-term leases for additional tribes.
- Citizens and tribes: Federally recognized tribes gain greater flexibility for long-term economic development, infrastructure, or commercial projects on trust land.
- International relations: No direct effects identified.
Main Stakeholders
- Federally recognized Indian Tribes and their members.
- The Secretary of the Interior and relevant federal agencies responsible for trust land management.
- Private entities seeking to lease tribal trust land for development purposes.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Strengthens federal trust obligations by providing uniform leasing authority across all recognized tribes.
- Supports tribal self-determination in land use decisions without altering the underlying trust status of the land.
- May reduce administrative disparities between tribes previously covered and those newly included under the 99-year lease provision.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-17: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
- 2026-06-17: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- To authorize leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for federally recognized Indian Tribes. — issued 2026-06-17 — PDF (2 pages)