IN

T

R

O

D

U

C

TIO

N

A

N

D

O

V

E

R

VIE

W

The

A

m

erican Indian Pro

b

ate

R

eform

Act

(AIP

R

A) of 2

0

0

4

w

as enacte

d

on Octo

b

er 2

7,

2

0

0

4. The

Act a

m

ends the Indian L

and

C

onsolid

ation Act and

a

m

end

m

ents m

a

d

e in

2

0

0

0

and this notice re

places the notice

pro

vid

e

d in 2

0

01. T

his

A

ct affe

cts

y

o

ur

o

w

n

ers

hip rig

hts in tru

st or re

stricte

d la

n

d,

u

nle

s

s th

e la

n

d is lo

c

ate

d in

Ala

s

k

a. M

o

st of

th

e

pro

visio

n

s

d

o

n

ot ta

k

e

effe

ct for o

n

e (1)

y

e

ar.

AIP

R

A chang

es the

w

a

y trust estates are

distribute

d to

y

our heirs after y

our d

e

ath. This

incre

ases the im

p

ortance

and

b

enefits of writing

a

will or d

oing

an estate

plan. AIP

R

A

also

im

pro

v

es y

our a

bility to consolid

ate

y

our

interests in trust or restricte

d land.

S

E

C

TIO

N 1: P

R

O

P

E

R

T

Y

DIS

T

RIB

U

TIO

N,

WIL

L

S

A

N

D

E

S

T

AT

E

P

L

A

N

NIN

G

The

Act cre

ates a ne

w nation-wid

e

pro

b

ate co

d

e

that chang

es ho

w

y

our trust pro

p

erty

will b

e

distribute

d

a

m

ong

y

our heirs if y

ou die

without a

will. Other chang

es includ

e

a

m

end

e

d

d

efinitions

of “Indian” and “eligible heirs” for purp

oses of

inheriting in trust. The chang

es also

pro

vid

e

o

p

p

ortunities for Indians or the trib

e to

purchase

y

our interest in trust or restricte

d land

at pro

b

ate.

In ord

er to

giv

e

y

ou tim

e to

plan, the inheritance

chang

es take

effect after one (1) y

e

ar. T

o help

y

ou und

erstand so

m

e

of the

m

ost im

p

ortant

chang

es, y

ou ne

e

d to kno

w

what ha

p

p

ens if y

ou

d

o not ha

v

e

a

will or an estate

plan.

S

H

O

U

L

D

Y

O

U

W

RIT

E

A

WIL

L

?

The ne

w la

w

protects y

our rights as

a

pro

p

erty

o

wner to transfer y

our

pro

p

erty

b

y

will. B

y

writing

a

will,

y

ou can d

esignate ho

w

y

our trust

land

will b

e transferre

d in trust to

any Indian

p

erson or to

y

our d

escend

ants e

v

en if the

y

are not

trib

al m

e

m

b

ers. Y

ou can control ho

w

y

our trust

pro

p

erty is p

asse

d

b

y cre

ating

an estate

plan,

such as a

will or d

e

e

d. There

are

also ne

w

pro

visions on wills. If y

ou ha

v

e

alre

a

d

y

written a

will, y

ou should re

vie

w it to

m

ake sure the

will sa

ys

what y

ou currently

w

ant.

W

H

O

C

A

N

R

E

C

EIV

E

Y

O

U

R

P

R

O

P

E

R

T

Y

AT

D

E

AT

H IN

T

R

U

S

T

?

With

o

ut a

Will:

• If y

ou d

o not write

a

will,

y

our trust pro

p

erty

will

p

ass und

er the ne

w

fe

d

eral pro

b

ate co

d

e

or

a

p

pro

v

e

d trib

al pro

b

ate

co

d

e, rather than und

er the state la

ws that

currently

g

o

v

ern Indian pro

b

ate. Y

our trust

land

will continue to

b

e inherite

d

b

y

y

our

im

m

e

diate fa

mily

– first to

y

our children or

grandchildren or p

ossibly

gre

at

grandchildren, and if y

ou ha

v

e none, then to

y

our p

arents or brothers and sisters. All of

these

p

e

o

ple

will b

e

eligible to inherit y

our

trust pro

p

erty

as long

as e

ach m

e

ets the

d

efinition of Indian b

elo

w, or are

y

our

d

escend

ants within tw

o

g

enerations of an

Indian, or the

y

alre

a

d

y

are co-o

wners in the

sa

m

e

p

arcel. L

and not p

assing to

one

of the

p

e

o

ple

a

b

o

v

e

will then p

ass to the trib

e

where the land is locate

d.

• If y

ou ha

v

e

a sp

ouse

and

other eligible heirs,

y

our surviving sp

ouse

will inherit 1/3

of any

m

one

y in y

our IIM

account at the tim

e

of y

our

d

e

ath, and

all of the

m

one

y

pro

duce

d fro

m

y

our interest in trust or restricte

d land

during

y

our sp

ouse’s lifetim

e. Y

our other heirs g

et

the re

m

aining

2/3

of any

m

one

y in y

our IIM

account at the tim

e

of d

e

ath, and the

re

m

aining

o

wnership interest in the trust or

restricte

d land. Y

our sp

ouse

m

a

y

also

continue to liv

e in a fa

mily ho

m

e locate

d

on

allotte

d land.

• If y

our sp

ouse

but no

other eligible heirs

surviv

e

y

ou, the sp

ouse

g

ets y

our IIM

account, and

during the sp

ouse’s lifetim

e, the

m

one

y

pro

duce

d fro

m

y

our land interest. The

sp

ouse

m

a

y

ho

m

e loca

re

m

aining

o

the trib

e

wh

• If y

ou d

o no

interest is 

sp

ouse

m

a

ho

m

e

on th

la

w

will limi

child, and 

old

est eligib

A

d

ditionally, the

purchase interes

the total, for fai

proce

e

ding

wit

H

o

w

e

v

er, this a

without the heir

T

H

E IN

T

E

R

E

S

V

A

LID

WIL

L, o

land. S

p

ouse

protecte

d.

With

a

Will:

• B

y

writing

a

in trust to

an

jurisdiction, 

also transfe

d

escend

ant

grandchildre

e

v

en if the

y

ho

w

y

our tr

an estate

p

can transfe

any

b

o

d

y.

• E

v

en if y

our 

y

our sp

ous

pro

p

erty.

W

H

O

M

A

Y IN

H

AIP

R

A

?

There is an a

m

e

d

etermine

who 

trust, p

articularl

AIP

R

A, an “India
1. is a

m

e

m

b

er of an Indian trib

e, or

2. is eligible to

b

eco

m

e

a

m

e

m

b

er of an Indian

trib

e; or

3. w

as an o

wner of an interest in trust or

restricte

d land

on Octo

b

er 2

7, 2

0

0

4; or

4. m

e

ets the

d

efinition of “Indian” und

er the

Indian R

e

org

anization Act, or

5. in C

alifornia, any

p

erson as in 1, 2, 3, and

4,

or who

o

wns trust or restricte

d land in

C

alifornia.

This will not affect y

our eligibility for other fe

d

eral

Indian pro

gra

ms.

Y

our heirs who

are not Indian m

a

y

b

e

a

ble to

inherit in trust if the

y

m

e

et the statutory

re

quire

m

ents for “eligible heirs.” If y

ou ha

v

e heirs

who

are non-Indian, b

e sure to se

ek inform

ation at

the toll-fre

e num

b

er b

elo

w

or at y

our local a

g

ency

office.

The

pro

visions of AIP

R

A

are co

m

ple

x. B

e sure to

se

ek inform

ation for any

questions y

ou m

a

y ha

v

e.

S

E

C

TIO

N

2: C

O

N

S

O

LID

A

TIN

G

O

W

N

E

R

S

HIP

IN

T

E

R

E

S

T

S

One

of the

m

ain purp

oses of

the

Act is to

preserv

e the trust

status and re

duce the num

b

er

of sm

all, fractionate

d interests

in Indian lands. The

Act d

o

es

this b

y

pro

viding individuals and trib

es with m

ore

o

p

p

ortunities to consolid

ate fractionate

d interests

and

b

y re

m

o

ving so

m

e restrictions on what trib

es

and individuals can d

o

with their lands.

W

H

AT IS

T

H

E

P

U

R

C

H

A

S

E

O

P

TIO

N

AT

P

R

O

B

AT

E

?

C

ertain p

e

o

ple can purchase

y

our interest in the

p

arcel during

pro

b

ate. Y

our heirs, other co-o

wners,

and the trib

e

where the land is locate

d

will b

e

a

ble

to

purchase

y

our interest in the

p

arcel. The

purchase

price

must e

qual or e

xce

e

d the fair

m

arket v

alue. Y

our heirs w

ould receiv

e the

m

one

y

p

aid for y

our interest in the

p

arcel inste

a

d

of a

share

of y

our interest in the

p

arcel. If y

our heirs are

to receiv

e

5

% interest or m

ore in the

p

arcel, or if

the

y liv

e

on the

p

arcel, y

our heirs’ consent to the

purchase is re

quire

d.

W

H

AT

A

R

E

C

O

N

S

O

LID

ATIO

N

A

G

R

E

E

M

E

N

T

S

?

H

eirs can d

ecid

e ho

w the

y

w

ant the trust estate

distribute

d

at the

pro

b

ate he

aring. F

or e

x

a

m

ple,

the

y

m

a

y

d

ecid

e

whether the

y

wish to inherit their

share, or sell it to

other co-o

wners or the trib

e

where the land is locate

d. H

eirs m

a

y

also

giv

e

their share to

another na

m

e

d Indian p

erson

inste

a

d

of inheriting it.

H

O

W

C

A

N

A

P

E

R

S

O

N

A

C

Q

UIR

E

O

T

H

E

R

F

R

A

C

TIO

N

AT

E

D IN

T

E

R

E

S

T

S

?

The

Act contains a num

b

er of pro

visions that are

im

p

ortant to Indian land

o

wners. S

o

m

e

e

x

a

m

ples

are:

• L

and consolid

ation o

ptions for land

o

wners,

• P

artition b

y sale

of Indian lands,

• C

ontinuation and

e

x

p

ansion of the fe

d

eral

“buy

b

ack” pro

gra

m, and

• Gre

ater fle

xibility for land

o

wners to

consolid

ate

and

acquire interests during the

pro

b

ate

process.

H

O

W

C

A

N

Y

O

U

T

R

A

N

S

F

E

R

A

N IN

T

E

R

E

S

T IN

P

R

O

P

E

R

T

Y

D

U

RIN

G

Y

O

U

R

LIF

E

TIM

E

?

Ple

ase se

ek inform

ation fro

m

y

our trust officer,

y

our local BIA

office

or the toll fre

e num

b

er b

elo

w

for inform

ation on estate

planning

o

ptions during

y

our lifetim

e such as:

• N

e

g

otiate

d sales,

• Gift d

e

e

ds,

• L

and

e

xchang

es, and

other transactions.

F

or m

ore inform

atio

n

a

b

o

ut this

n

otic

e

or th

e

A

ct, c

all

1-8

8

8-6

7

8-6

8

3

6

x

8

8

8

U

A

m

e

ric

R

e

f

o

P

u

D

e

p

art

B

ure

Offic

e

for