I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5515 
To amend the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 
Mr. HURD of Colorado (for himself and Ms. RANDALL) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Indian Trust Asset 
Reform Amendment Act’’. 
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO INDIAN TRUST ASSET REFORM 
ACT. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 202 of the Indian Trust 
Asset Reform Act (25 U.S.C. 5611) is amended— 
(1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol-
lows: 
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‘‘(1) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ 
means an Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, na-
tion, pueblo, village, or community identified, includ-
ing parenthetically, on the list published by the Sec-
retary pursuant to Section 104 of the Federally Rec-
ognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 
5131).’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘tribal orga-
nization’ means any legally established organi-
zation of Indians which is controlled, sanc-
tioned, or chartered by the governing body of 
an Indian Tribe or which is democratically 
elected by the adult members of the Indian 
community to be served by such organization 
and which includes the maximum participation 
of Indians in all phases of its activities. 
‘‘(B) MULTIPLE
TRIBES.—In any case 
where a contract is let or grant made to an or-
ganization to perform services benefiting more 
than one Indian tribe, the approval of each such 
Indian tribe shall be a prerequisite to the let-
ting or making of such contract or grant.’’. 
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(b) 
INDIAN
TRUST
ASSET
MANAGEMENT 
PROJECT.—Section 203 of the Indian Trust Asset Reform 
Act (25 U.S.C. 5612) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 203. INDIAN TRUST ASSET MANAGEMENT PROJECT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out an 
Indian trust asset management project in accordance with 
this title. 
‘‘(b) PARTICIPATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—To participate in the 
project, an Indian tribe shall submit to the Secretary 
a proposed Indian trust asset management plan as 
described in section 204 of this title, and a copy of 
a resolution or other appropriate action by the gov-
erning body of the Indian tribe in support of or au-
thorizing the submission. 
‘‘(2) TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.—A tribal organi-
zation may participate in the Project on behalf of an 
Indian tribe if the tribal organization— 
‘‘(A) submits a proposed Indian trust asset 
management plan that identifies the Indian 
tribe, the trust assets of which are included in 
the plan; 
‘‘(B) submits a copy of a resolution or 
other appropriate action by the governing body 
of the Indian tribe that is the owner of the 
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trust assets included in the Indian trust asset 
management plan that supports or authorizes 
the tribal organization to carry out the plan; 
and 
‘‘(C) complies with the other provisions of 
this title.’’. 
(c) INDIAN TRUST ASSET MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 
Section 204 of the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act (25 
U.S.C. 5613) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking paragraph (1); 
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 
(3) as paragraphs (1) and (2) respectively; and 
(C) in paragraph (1), as so redesignated— 
(i) in subparagraph (D)(i), by striking 
‘‘may include’’ and inserting ‘‘may include, 
but are not limited to,’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (G), by striking 
‘‘plan’’ and inserting ‘‘plan, including reg-
ulations administered by the head of an-
other Federal department or agency’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)(1)(B)(i), by striking 
‘‘(a)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘(a)(1)’’; 
(3) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub-
section (e); 
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(4) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(d) AMENDMENT OF APPROVED PLAN.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An Indian tribe, or a tribal 
organization participating in an Indian trust asset 
management plan on behalf of an Indian tribe under 
section 203(b)(2) of this title, may propose amend-
ments to the Indian trust asset management plan 
that the Secretary has approved or that is otherwise 
in effect pursuant to this title; and 
‘‘(2) APPLICABLE PROVISIONS.—The Secretary 
shall review any proposal by an Indian tribe, or a 
tribal organization administering an Indian trust 
asset 
management 
plan 
pursuant 
to 
section 
203(b)(2), using the criteria set forth in subsections 
(b) and (c) of this section.’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) ELIGIBILITY FOR FUNDING.—An Indian tribe 
operating under an approved Indian trust asset manage-
ment plan shall continue to be eligible for, and shall not 
be disqualified from receiving, Federal funding to support 
the Indian tribe’s activities under an approved Indian 
trust asset management plan, in the same manner and 
subject to the same considerations as Indian tribes with-
out an Indian trust asset management plan.’’. 
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(d) TRUST ASSET MANAGEMENT.—Section 205 of 
the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act (25 U.S.C. 5614) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 
(3) as paragraphs (3) and (4) respectively; 
(B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 
following: 
‘‘(2) FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term 
‘forest management plan’ has the meaning given the 
term in Section 304 of the National Indian Forest 
Resources Management Act of 1990 (25 U.S.C. 
3103).’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) TRUST ASSETS.—The term ‘trust assets’ 
means— 
‘‘(A) trust lands, natural resources, trust 
funds, or other assets held by the Federal Gov-
ernment in trust for Indian tribes and indi-
vidual Indians; or 
‘‘(B) any resource that is, or has pre-
viously been, included in an integrated re-
sources management plan or other management 
plan approved by the Secretary.’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
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(A) by striking ‘‘carry out’’ and all that 
follows through ‘‘would require’’ and inserting 
‘‘carry out any transaction or activity related to 
management of that Indian tribe’s trust assets, 
including, but not limited to, a surface leasing 
transaction, adoption or amendment of a forest 
management plan, or forest land management 
activity without approval of the Secretary, re-
gardless of whether the trust asset management 
transaction or activity would require’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (B)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘with respect to forest’’ 
and inserting ‘‘with respect to forest man-
agement plans and forest’’; 
(ii) in clause (ii)(II)(aa), by striking 
‘‘the public is’’ and all that follows through 
‘‘the proposed’’ and inserting ‘‘interested 
parties are informed of, and have a reason-
able opportunity to comment on a proposed 
forest management plan, and any signifi-
cant environmental impacts of a pro-
posed’’; and 
(iii) in clause (ii)(II)(bb)— 
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(I) by striking ‘‘public com-
ments’’ and inserting ‘‘comments from 
interested parties’’; and 
(II) by striking ‘‘forest land’’ and 
inserting ‘‘forest management plan or 
forest land’’; 
(3) by amending subsection (c) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(c) TYPES OF TRANSACTIONS.—At the discretion of 
the applicable Indian tribe, an Indian trust asset manage-
ment plan may authorize the Indian tribe to manage any 
and all of that Indian tribe’s trust assets, and undertake 
any transactions and activities related thereto, including 
but not limited to adopting or amending a forest manage-
ment plan, carrying out a surface leasing transaction, and 
carrying out a forest land management activity, and the 
Secretary shall defer to any such discretionary trust asset 
management decision by the Indian tribe to the extent 
such decision is consistent with both the Indian trust asset 
management plan and this section.’’. 
(4) in subsection (f)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘executes a surface’’ and 
all that follows through ‘‘pursuant to tribal reg-
ulations’’ and inserting ‘‘undertakes an activity 
or transaction related to a trust asset, pursuant 
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to the Indian tribe’s trust asset management 
plan and tribal regulations’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘the sur-
face leasing transaction or forest land manage-
ment activity documents’’ and inserting ‘‘activ-
ity or transaction documents’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘a sur-
face leasing transaction, or forest land manage-
ment activities’’ and inserting ‘‘or an activity or 
transaction related to a trust asset’’; and 
(5) in subsection (g)(1)(A), by striking ‘‘the 
execution of any forest land management activity’’ 
and inserting ‘‘any activity or transaction related to 
a trust asset and undertaken by the Indian tribe’’. 
(e) TRUST RESPONSIBILITY.—Section 206(f) of the 
Indian Trust Asset Reform Act (25 U.S.C. 5615(f)) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(f) TRUST RESPONSIBILITY.—Nothing in this title 
enhances, diminishes, or otherwise affects the trust re-
sponsibility of the United States to Indian tribes.’’. 
Æ 
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