I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6087 
To sunset the Federal recognition and acknowledgment process within the 
Bureau of Indian Affairs of the Department of the Interior, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 20, 2008 
Mr. CAMPBELL of California introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To sunset the Federal recognition and acknowledgment proc-
ess within the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the Depart-
ment of the Interior, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SUNSET OF ADMINISTRATIVE RECOGNITION OF 
INDIAN TRIBES. 
(a) DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF LETTER OF IN-
TENT.—If, not later than 180 days after receiving notice 
under subsection (b), a group seeking or eligible to seek 
Federal tribal acknowledgment under part 83 of title 25, 
Code of Federal Regulations does not submit a letter of 
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intent to the Secretary, that group shall be barred from 
petitioning for or receiving status as a federally recognized 
Indian tribe through any administrative process. 
(b) NOTICE OF NEED TO SUBMIT LETTER OF IN-
TENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall notify— 
(A) by first class mail, each group with a 
pending petition for Federal tribal acknowledg-
ment, active or inactive, of the need to submit 
a letter of intent to the Secretary; and 
(B) shall publish in the Federal Register 
the need of any group to submit a letter of in-
tent to the Secretary. 
(2) CONTENT.—Notice under paragraph (1) 
shall state that if, not later than 180 days after the 
Secretary sends notice by first class mail or by pub-
lication in the Federal Register, a group does not 
submit a letter of intent to the Secretary, that group 
shall be barred from petitioning for or receiving sta-
tus as a federally recognized Indian tribe through 
any administrative process. 
(c) MULTIPLE PETITIONS.—When multiple petitions 
are submitted by groups claiming the same name, the Sec-
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retary shall inform each group that all such petitions shall 
receive no consideration and such petitions shall not be 
considered. 
(d) EXPEDITED DENIAL.—The OFA may expedite a 
finding declining to acknowledge a group if the OFA de-
termines that the group clearly did not demonstrate in the 
application that the group meets at least 3 of the 7 re-
quired criteria set forth under part 83 of title 25, Code 
of Federal Regulations. A group that has an application 
denied under this subsection may appeal the denial to the 
Board of Indian Appeals in accordance with part 83 of 
title 25, Code of Federal Regulations. 
(e) SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION.—Each group that 
is eligible for consideration under part 83 of title 25, Code 
of Federal Regulations after the 180 day deadline set 
forth in subsection (a) and that has not been removed 
under subsection (c) or (d) may submit a complete appli-
cation to the OFA not later than 12 months after the expi-
ration of the 180 day deadline set forth in subsection (a). 
(f) DEADLINE
FOR
CONSIDERATION
OF
PETI-
TIONS.—Not later than 3 years after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the OFA shall complete all final deci-
sions and notifications regarding petitions for Federal rec-
ognition under part 83 of title 25, Code of Federal Regula-
tions. 
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(g) SUNSET OF OFA.—Not later than 3 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, or upon the comple-
tion of all final decisions by the OFA, whichever is earlier, 
the Federal Recognition and Acknowledgment Process 
shall be terminated and no groups shall thereafter be ac-
knowledged as federally recognized Indian tribes through 
an administrative process. 
(h) EFFECT ON REGULATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Where in conflict, the dead-
lines and processes in this Act supercede those set 
forth in part 83 of title 25, Code of Federal Regula-
tions. 
(2) NO CHANGE IN CRITERIA.—Nothing in this 
Act shall be construed to change the criteria set 
forth under part 83 of title 25, Code of Federal 
Regulations or any other policies established by the 
Department of the Interior to determine whether a 
group meets the requirements to be a federally rec-
ognized Indian tribe. 
(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) GROUP.—The term ‘‘group’’ means an 
American Indian Group, as that term is used in part 
83 of title 25, Code of Federal Regulations. 
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(2) LETTER OF INTENT.—The term ‘‘letter of 
intent’’ has the meaning given that term in part 83 
of title 25, Code of Federal Regulations 
(3) OFA.—The term ‘‘OFA’’ means the Office 
of Federal Acknowledgment. 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
Æ 
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