[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2636 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2636

  To amend the Act of June 18, 1934, to require mandatory approval of 
  applications for land to be taken into trust if the land is wholly 
             within a reservation, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 3, 2016

  Mr. Tester introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Act of June 18, 1934, to require mandatory approval of 
  applications for land to be taken into trust if the land is wholly 
             within a reservation, 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 ``Reservation Land Consolidation Act 
of 2016''.

SEC. 2. ON-RESERVATION LAND ACQUISITIONS.

    The Act of June 18, 1934 (commonly known as the ``Indian 
Reorganization Act''), is amended by inserting after section 5 (25 
U.S.C. 465) the following:

``SEC. 5A. ON-RESERVATION LAND ACQUISITIONS.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Indian tribe.--The term `Indian tribe' means an 
        Indian tribe included in the list published by the Secretary in 
        the Federal Register pursuant to section 104 of the Federally 
        Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 479a-1).
            ``(2) Reservation.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraphs (B) and (C), the term `reservation' means 
                the area of land over which an Indian tribe is 
                recognized by the United States as having governmental 
                jurisdiction.
                    ``(B) Application to certain land.--Notwithstanding 
                subparagraph (A), with respect to the State of Oklahoma 
                or where there has been a final judicial determination 
                that a reservation has been disestablished or 
                diminished, the term `reservation' means the area of 
                land constituting the former reservation of an Indian 
                tribe, as defined by the Secretary.
                    ``(C) Effect.--If the meaning given the term 
                `reservation' in subparagraphs (A) and (B) conflicts 
                with any law enacted by Congress to acquire, or to 
                authorize the acquisition of, title to particular land 
                to be held in trust by the United States for the 
                benefit of an Indian tribe, that law shall control with 
                respect to that land.
    ``(b) Acquisition of Land in Trust.--An Indian tribe seeking to 
have land wholly within or contiguous to the reservation of the Indian 
tribe taken into trust for the benefit of that Indian tribe shall 
submit to the Secretary an application containing such title evidence 
necessary for the United States to accept title to the land.
    ``(c) Requirements.--Immediately on application under subsection 
(b), and subject only to Federal land acquisition title requirements 
applicable to an acquisition of land by the Secretary to be held in 
trust for the benefit of an Indian tribe, the Secretary shall take into 
trust the land covered by the application.''.
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