I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2973 

To require the Secretary of the Interior to notify units of local government 

when a Native American group files a petition to become a federally 

recognized Indian tribe and before the decision on the petition is made, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 19, 2009 

Mr. CAMPBELL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of the Interior to notify units of 

local government when a Native American group files 

a petition to become a federally recognized Indian tribe 

and before the decision on the petition is made, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—When a petition requesting that 

5 a tribe be recognized, acknowledged, or reacknowledged 

6 through the Federal acknowledgment process as a feder7 ally recognized Indian tribe is filed with the Department 

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1 of the Interior, the Secretary of the Interior, acting 

2 through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall notify in writ3 ing units of local government as follows: 

4 (1) Notification that a petition was filed and is 

5 still pending on the date of the enactment of this 

6 Act shall be made not later than 30 days after the 

7 date of the enactment of this Act. 

8 (2) Notification that a petition has been filed 

9 on or after the date of the enactment of this Act 

10 shall be made not later than 60 days after the peti11 tion is filed. 

12 (3) Notification of a decision on a petition shall 

13 be made not later than 90 days before the decision 

14 is announced. 

15 (b) UNITS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—A unit of local 

16 government required to be notified under subsection (a)— 

17 (1) is local city, parish, or county government 

18 located within a 25-mile radius of land— 

19 (A) over which the Native American group 

20 would be given jurisdiction by or pursuant to 

21 the petition; 

22 (B) that would be taken into trust for the 

23 benefit of the Native American group by or pur24 suant to the petition; and 

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1 (C) ownership of which would be trans2 ferred to the Native American group by or pur3 suant to the petition; and 

4 (2) does not include any Indian tribe, school, or 

5 private persons or entities. 

6 (c) LIMITATION ON TRUST LAND.—The Secretary of 

7 the Interior may not take land into trust for the benefit 

8 of an Indian tribe or any member of an Indian tribe, un9 less an Act enacted after the date of the enactment of 

10 this Act specifically instructs the Secretary to take such 

11 land into trust for that Indian tribe or a member of that 

12 Indian tribe. 

13 SEC. 2. WAITING PERIOD ON GAMING ACTIVITIES. 

14 The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 

15 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 23. WAITING PERIOD ON GAMING ACTIVITIES. 

17 ‘‘This Act shall not apply to an Indian tribe or to 

18 Indian lands of an Indian tribe until that Indian tribe has 

19 been a federally recognized Indian tribe for a period of 

20 not less than 25 continuous years. This section shall not 

21 apply to Indian tribes that were federally recognized be22 fore the date of the enactment of this section.’’. 

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