“To amend the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section amends the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act (ITARA, 25 U.S.C. 5601 et seq.) as follows: (1) in the definitions section (sec. 202), revises the definition of "Indian tribe" to mean any federally recognized Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community (per 25 U.S.C. 5131) and adds a definition of "tribal organization" (i.e., a legally established organization controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by an Indian tribe's governing body, or democratically elected by the Indian community it serves, with tribal approval required for multi-tribe service contracts or grants); (2) revises the Indian Trust Asset Management Project (sec. 203) to allow tribal organizations to participate on behalf of a tribe upon submission of a tribe-specific plan and tribal governing body resolution; (3) modifies Indian trust asset management plan requirements (sec. 204) by striking one plan element, allowing tribes or tribal organizations to propose amendments to approved plans (subject to Secretary review under existing criteria), and clarifying that participating tribes remain eligible for federal funding supporting plan activities; and (4) in trust asset management provisions (sec. 205), adds definitions of "forest management plan" (cross-referencing 25 U.S.C. 3103 of the National Indian Forest Resources Management Act) and "trust assets" (i.e., federal trust lands, natural resources, funds, or other assets for tribes or individual Indians, or resources in Secretary-approved plans), and expands tribal authority to conduct trust asset transactions or activities—including surface leasing, forest management plan adoption or amendment, and forest land management activities—without Secretary approval if consistent with an approved plan (with public notice and comment requirements).