Universal 99-Year Tribal Trust Land Leasing Authorization (HR5910)

Current understanding

HR5910 would amend the Long-Term Leasing Act (Act of August 9, 1955; 25 U.S.C. 415) to authorize any federally recognized Indian tribe to lease its trust land for terms of up to 99 years, without requiring tribe-by-tribe statutory additions. The bill generalizes an authority that Congress has historically extended piecemeal to individual tribes, aligning maximum lease terms across Indian Country. Status: introduced.

Evidence log

• 2026-07-16 — Unlocking Native Lands and Opportunities for Commerce and Key Economic Developments Act of 2025: S3383 (Unlocking Native Lands and Opportunities for Commerce and Key Economic Developments Act of 2025) introduced as a parallel vehicle easing restrictions on Native lands for commerce and economic development, complementing the leasing-term reforms in HR5910/S4813. (novelty: 2)
• 2026-06-17 — A bill to authorize leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for federally recognized Indian Tribes.: S4813 introduced as apparent Senate companion, proposing the same universal 99-year leasing authorization for trust land of all federally recognized tribes. (novelty: 2)
• 2026-03-04 — To authorize leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for federally recognized Indian Tribes.: cross-connection with wampanoag-long-term-leasing-act-amendment: Both amend 25 U.S.C. 415; the Wampanoag bill is a tribe-specific version of the universal authorization proposed in HR5910. (novelty: 2)

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