Title: American Indian Empowerment Act of 2017
Policy area: Native Americans

Summary:
American Indian Empowerment Act of 2017
This bill requires the Department of the Interior, upon the request of an Indian tribe, to transfer land held in trust for the tribe to the tribe as restricted fee tribal land. (Restricted fee tribal land is land that is owned by a tribe and has restrictions against alienation and taxation.)
Tribes may lease, or grant an easement or right-of-way on, restricted fee land for any period of time without Interior's review and approval.
Tribal laws that establish a system of land tenure governing the use of restricted fee land have precedence over federal laws and regulations governing the use of such land, except the restriction against the land's alienation and taxation.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 215 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 215

To empower federally recognized Indian tribes to accept restricted fee 
                 tribal lands, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 3, 2017

 Mr. Young of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To empower federally recognized Indian tribes to accept restricted fee 
                 tribal lands, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``American Indian Empowerment Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. EMPOWER TRIBES TO ACCEPT RESTRICTED FEE TRIBAL LANDS.

    (a) Conveyance of Tribal Trust Lands to Restricted Fee Tribal 
Lands.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, not later than 180 
days after receipt by the Secretary of the Interior of a written 
request adopted by the governing body of a federally recognized Indian 
tribe, the Secretary shall, subject to a restriction imposed by the 
United States against alienation and taxation, convey to the Indian 
tribe all right, title, and interest held by the United States in land 
specifically requested by the Indian tribe which the United States held 
in trust for that Indian tribe.
    (b) Attributes of Restricted Fee Tribal Lands.--Any land held by a 
federally recognized Indian tribe subject to a restriction imposed by 
the United States against alienation and taxation, shall be deemed, for 
all purposes, to be--
            (1) Indian country as defined in section 1151 of title 18, 
        United States Code; and
            (2) the Indian lands of that Indian tribe subject to the 
        provisions of the Act of June 30, 1834 (25 U.S.C. 177; 4 Stat. 
        730).
    (c) Tribal Authority Over Restricted Fee Tribal Lands.--
Notwithstanding the provisions of the Act of August 9, 1955 (25 U.S.C. 
415; commonly known as the ``Long-term Leasing Act''), an Indian tribe 
may lease land subject to a restriction imposed by the United States 
against alienation and taxation, or grant an easement or right-of-way 
thereon, for any period of time without review and approval by the 
Secretary.
    (d) Tribal Preemption Authority Over Restricted Fee Tribal Lands.--
The laws of a federally recognized Indian tribe establishing a system 
of land tenure governing the use of land it holds, subject to a 
restriction imposed by the United States against alienation and 
taxation, shall preempt any provision of Federal law or regulation 
governing the use of such lands. Such tribal law shall be given 
preemptive effect only upon having been first published in the Federal 
Register. The Secretary of the Interior shall cause such tribal law to 
be published in the Federal Register not later than 120 days after 
receiving a copy of the tribal law from the Indian tribe.
    (e) Trust Responsibility Not Diminished.--Nothing in this section 
shall be construed to diminish the Federal trust responsibility to any 
Indian tribe.
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