Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025

Summary

On May 21, 2025, the House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held a legislative hearing on four bills addressing tribal land rights, homeownership, and economic development. H.R. 2130, the Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act, sets forth requirements for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to process residential and business mortgages on tribal trust land, with the BIA required to approve or disapprove documents within 20 or 30 days depending on application type. H.R. 2388 would take approximately 1,083 acres of National Park Service land into trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. H.R. 2815, the Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act, waives a statutory core township selection requirement for the Cape Fox Corporation and allows Cape Fox to receive approximately 180 acres located within the Tongass National Forest instead of previously selected land. H.R. 3073, the Shivwits Band of Paiutes Jurisdictional Clarity Act, confers legal jurisdiction to the State of Utah over certain civil cases involving the Shivwits Band of Paiutes and allows the tribe to lease its land held in trust. Witnesses included members of Congress, tribal leaders, and representatives of Native organizations. The hearing examined how these bills would support tribal sovereignty, economic development, and access to homeownership and land resources. A hearing does not guarantee the bills will advance to a vote.

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Witnesses(14)

Summary

On January 22, 2026, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a full committee markup to consider eight bills spanning diverse natural resources and public lands issues. The bills included measures addressing tribal land homeownership and jurisdictional clarity, invasive species management in the Chesapeake Bay, ocean recreation data standardization, national park recovery, and wildlife safety. Among the bills marked up were H.R. 5254 (Gateway Partnership Act), which would authorize the Gateway Arch Park Foundation to host private events at Gateway Arch National Park; H.R. 5729 (North Rim Restoration Act), which would expedite recovery of the Grand Canyon's North Rim from the Dragon Bravo Fire by granting the National Park Service emergency contracting authority; H.R. 3073 (Shivwits Band of Paiutes Jurisdictional Clarity Act), which would confer jurisdiction to Utah over certain civil cases involving the Shivwits Band of Paiutes and allow the tribe to lease its trust lands; and H.R. 4294 (MAWS Act), which would establish a pilot program to purchase invasive blue catfish from Chesapeake Bay watermen for use in pet and animal feed industries. The committee also considered H.R. 3340 (Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans Act), which would standardize and digitize data on recreational fishing restrictions and boating access in federal waters. Additional bills on the agenda addressed tribal trust land homeownership, animal safety, and emergency egress at a Virginia facility. As a markup session, the committee was reviewing and potentially amending these bills before deciding whether to advance them for further consideration by the full House.

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