American Indian Empowerment Act of 2017

Bill: 115-hr-215
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Young, Don [R-AK-At Large]
Introduced: 2017-01-03
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Federal-Indian relations

Indian lands and resources rights

Land transfers
Latest action: action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Subcommittee Hearings Held.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-01-03
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>American Indian Empowerment Act of 2017</b></p> <p> 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.)</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 215 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the American Indian Empowerment Act of 2017 . 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.