A bill to authorize leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for federally recognized Indian Tribes.

Key Points

• This bill would let any federally recognized Indian Tribe lease its trust land for up to 99 years. Currently, most tribes are limited to shorter lease terms unless Congress has passed a tribe-specific law granting them longer authority.
• The bill works by adding all federally recognized tribes to an existing law from 1955 that already allows certain named tribes and reservations to enter into long-term leases. Instead of listing tribes one by one, it references the official government list of all recognized tribes.
• Longer lease terms are important for economic development on tribal land because banks and businesses typically require long-term agreements before investing in major construction or development projects. Short leases make it hard for tribes to attract outside investment.
• The bill was introduced by Sen. Tillis and referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. It removes the need for individual tribes to seek their own special legislation just to gain longer leasing authority.