Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025
Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025 (HR 2130) — Summary ## What the Bill Does This bill aims to speed up the process for obtaining mortgages and leases on tribal trust lands (land held in trust by the federal government for Native American tribes and their members). Currently, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) can take a long time to approve or deny mortgage and lease applications. The bill would require the BIA to set strict deadlines: reviewing applications within 10 days of receipt and making final approval or denial decisions within 20-30 days, depending on the application type.
It also requires the BIA to notify lenders when documents are received and to inform applicants if there are delays. ## Who It Affects This bill primarily affects Native Americans and tribal members who want to buy or lease homes or start businesses on tribal trust lands, as well as banks and lenders considering these mortgages. Tribes themselves would gain access to certain BIA records systems to better track land transactions. The bill also directs the Government Accountability Office to study how the BIA could better digitize its records. ## Current Status The bill was introduced in the House by Republican Representative Dusty Johnson of South Dakota and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full House.
CRS Official Summary
Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025This bill sets forth requirements for the processing of a proposed residential leasehold mortgage, business leasehold mortgage, land mortgage, or right-of-way document by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The BIA must notify lenders upon receipt of such documentation, perform a preliminary review of such documents not later than 10 days after receipt, and approve or disapprove of such documents within 20 or 30 days, depending on the type of application.Additionally, the bill sets forth requirements for the BIA regarding (1) response times for the completion of certified title status reports, (2) notification of delays in processing, and (3) the form of notices and delivery of certain reports.The bill also provides relevant federal agencies and Indian tribes with read-only access to the Trust Asset and Accounting Management System maintained by the BIA.The Government Accountability Office must report on digitizing documents for the purpose of streamlining and expediting the completion of mortgage packages for residential mortgages on Indian land.Finally, the bill establishes within the BIA's Division of Real Estate Services the position of Realty Ombudsman.
Latest Action
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 439.