An act to amend the Act of August 4, 1947 (commonly known as the Stigler Act), with respect to restrictions applicable to Indians of the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma, and for other purposes
PL 115-399 (H.R.2606), enacted 12/31/2018

132 STAT. 5331 
PUBLIC LAW 115–399—DEC. 31, 2018 
Public Law 115–399 
115th Congress 
An Act 
To amend the Act of August 4, 1947 (commonly known as the Stigler Act), with 
respect to restrictions applicable to Indians of the Five Civilized Tribes of Okla-
homa, 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 ‘‘Stigler Act Amendments of 
2018’’. 
SEC. 2. IN GENERAL. 
The first section of the Act of August 4, 1947 (61 Stat. 731, 
chapter 458), is amended— 
(1) in the matter before subsection (a), by striking ‘‘That 
all restrictions’’ and all that follows through subsection (a) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘SEC. 1. (a) All restrictions against alienation, conveyance, 
lease, mortgage, creation of liens, or other encumbrances upon 
all lands, including oil and gas or other mineral interests, in Okla-
homa belonging to a lineal descendant by blood of an original 
enrollee whose name appears on the Final Indian Rolls of the 
Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory, whether acquired by allot-
ment, inheritance, devise, gift, purchase, exchange, partition, parti-
tion sale, or by purchase with restricted funds, of whatever degree 
of Indian blood, and whether enrolled or unenrolled, shall be and 
are hereby, extended until an Act of Congress determines otherwise. 
‘‘(b) The extension of restrictions described in subsection (a) 
shall include without limitation, those interests in the estate of 
a decedent Indian who died before the date of enactment of the 
Stigler Act Amendments of 2018— 
‘‘(1) if such interests were acquired by an heir or devisee 
of one-half or more degree of Indian blood, as computed from 
the nearest enrolled lineal ancestors of Indian blood enrolled 
on the Final Rolls described in subsection (a), by final order 
issued by an Oklahoma district court or a United States district 
court determining the decedent’s heirs or devisees or otherwise 
determining the ownership of said interests before said date; 
or 
‘‘(2) if such interests were, immediately prior to the 
decedent’s death, subject to restrictions and had not, as of 
the date of enactment of the Stigler Act Amendments of 2018, 
been— 
‘‘(A) the subject of a final order issued by an Oklahoma 
district court or a United States district court determining 
25 USC 355 note. 
Stigler Act 
Amendments 
of 2018. 
25 USC 331 note. 
Dec. 31, 2018 
[H.R. 2606] 
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132 STAT. 5332 
PUBLIC LAW 115–399—DEC. 31, 2018 
the decedent’s heirs or devisees or otherwise determining 
the ownership of said interests; 
‘‘(B) conveyed by the decedent’s undetermined heirs 
or devisees by deed approved by an Oklahoma district 
court; or 
‘‘(C) conveyed by the decedent’s undetermined heirs 
or devisees of less than one-half degree of Indian blood 
with or without Oklahoma district court approval. 
‘‘SEC. 2. (a) Except as provided in subsection (f), subsection 
(g), subsection (h), and subsection (i), no conveyance, including 
an oil and gas or mineral lease, of any interest in the restricted 
lands described in this section shall be valid unless approved in 
open court by the district court of the county in Oklahoma in 
which the land is situated;’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘county judge’’ and inserting ‘‘district 
judge’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘Proceedings for approval of convey-
ances by restricted heirs or devisees’’ and inserting ‘‘Pro-
ceedings for approval of conveyances’’; 
(3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘best interest of the Indian’’ 
and inserting ‘‘best interest of the grantor’’; and 
(4) by adding before the period at the end the following: 
‘‘; (h) nothing contained in this section shall limit or affect 
the right of an Indian owner of restricted lands described 
in this Act to seek and obtain Secretarial removal of restrictions 
on all or any portion of said restricted lands in accordance 
with any applicable Federal law; (i) nothing contained in this 
section shall invalidate the alienation, conveyance, lease, 
including oil and gas or other mineral leases, mortgage, creation 
of liens, or other encumbrance of any lands, if such action 
was effective before the date of enactment of the Stigler Act 
Amendments of 2018 and valid under the law then in effect; 
and (j) in determining the quantum of Indian blood of any 
Indian heir or devisee, the Final Indian Rolls of the Five 
Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory as to such heir or devisee, 
if enrolled, shall be conclusive of his or her quantum of Indian 
blood. If unenrolled, his or her degree of Indian blood shall 
be computed from the nearest enrolled lineal ancestors of Indian 
blood enrolled on the Final Indian Rolls of the Five Civilized 
Tribes in Indian Territory’’. 
SEC. 3. TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. 
The Act of August 4, 1947 (61 Stat. 731, chapter 458), is 
amended— 
(1) in section 5, by striking ‘‘of one-half or more Indian 
blood,’’; 
(2) in section 6(c)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘purchase, partition sale,’’ after ‘‘gift,’’ 
each place it appears; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘of one-half or more Indian blood’’; 
and 
(3) in section 8, by striking ‘‘of one-half or more Indian 
blood,’’. 
SEC. 4. REPEALS. 
The following are repealed: 
25 USC 355 note. 
25 USC 355 note. 
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132 STAT. 5333 
PUBLIC LAW 115–399—DEC. 31, 2018 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 2606: 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 115–902 (Comm. on Natural Resources). 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 115–398 (Comm. on Indian Affairs). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 164 (2018): 
Sept. 12, considered and passed House. 
Dec. 13, considered and passed Senate, amended. 
Dec. 19, 20, House considered and concurred in Senate amendments. 
(1) The first section of the Act of August 11, 1955 (69 
Stat. 666, chapter 768). 
(2) Section 2 of the Act of August 4, 1947 (61 Stat. 731, 
chapter 458). 
SEC. 5. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION PROVIDING FOR NO RETROACTIVITY. 
Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, 
shall be construed to revise or extend the restricted status of 
any lands under the Act of August 4, 1947 (61 Stat. 731, chapter 
458) that lost restricted status under such Act before the date 
of enactment of this Act. 
Approved December 31, 2018. 
25 USC 355 note. 
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