[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5581 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5581

   To require the Secretary of the Interior to notify units of local 
 government when a Native American group files a petition to become a 
   federally recognized Indian tribe and before the decision on the 
               petition is made, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 11, 2008

  Mr. Campbell of California introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Secretary of the Interior to notify units of local 
 government when a Native American group files a petition to become a 
   federally recognized Indian tribe and before the decision on the 
               petition is made, 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. NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) In General.--When a petition requesting that a tribe be 
recognized, acknowledged, or reacknowledged through the Federal 
acknowledgment process as a federally recognized Indian tribe is filed 
with the Department of the Interior, the Secretary of the Interior, 
acting through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall notify in writing 
units of local government as follows:
            (1) Notification that a petition was filed and is still 
        pending on the date of the enactment of this Act shall be made 
        not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this 
        Act.
            (2) Notification that a petition has been filed on or after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act shall be made not later 
        than 60 days after the petition is filed.
            (3) Notification of that a decision on a petition will be 
        announced shall be made not later than 90 days before the 
        decision is announced.
    (b) Units of Local Government.--A unit of local government required 
to be notified under subsection (a)--
            (1) is local city, parish, or county government located 
        within a 25 mile radius of land--
                    (A) over which the Native American group would be 
                given jurisdiction by or pursuant to the petition;
                    (B) that would be taken into trust for the benefit 
                of the Native American group by or pursuant to the 
                petition; and
                    (C) ownership of which would be transferred to the 
                Native American group by or pursuant to the petition; 
                and
            (2) does not include any Indian tribe, school, or private 
        persons or entities.
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