Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025

What this does

This bill sets legal deadlines for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to process mortgages on Indian trust land. After a lender submits a residential leasehold, business leasehold, or land mortgage or a right-of-way document, the applicable Bureau office must finish a preliminary completeness review within 10 calendar days. It must then approve or disapprove a leasehold mortgage within 20 calendar days, and a land mortgage or right-of-way document within 30 calendar days, after receiving complete paperwork. The Bureau must complete a certified title status report within 10 days of approval, or within 14 days of a request for a first report. If the Bureau misses a deadline it must immediately notify the borrower and lender, and it must answer inquiries within 2 calendar days. Congress also grants relevant federal agencies and Indian Tribes read-only access to land documents in the Bureau's Trust Asset and Accounting Management System. The Director must report to Congress each year on whether deadlines were met, and the GAO must study digitizing tribal records within one year. The bill creates a Realty Ombudsman inside the Bureau's Division of Real Estate Services, reporting to the Secretary of the Interior, to police the deadlines and field complaints.

House vote · 384-40

Democrats208–1

Republicans176–39

Independents0–0

How we know · 9 sourced claims

The bill sets deadlines for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to process mortgages on Indian trust land.Source: Sec. 3(a) Review and processing deadlines; Sec. 2(5) definition of Indian land
The applicable Bureau office must complete a preliminary completeness review within 10 calendar days of receiving a proposed mortgage or right-of-way document.Source: Sec. 3(a)(2)(A)
The Bureau must approve or disapprove a leasehold mortgage within 20 calendar days of receiving complete documentation.Source: Sec. 3(a)(3)(A)
The Bureau must approve or disapprove a land mortgage or a right-of-way document within 30 calendar days of receiving complete documentation.Source: Sec. 3(a)(3)(B) and (C)
The Bureau must complete a certified title status report within 10 days of approving a mortgage, or within 14 days of a request for a first certified title status report.Source: Sec. 3(a)(4)(A)(i) and (ii)
If the Bureau misses a deadline it must immediately notify the submitting party and the lender, and it must respond to inquiries within 2 calendar days.Source: Sec. 3(b)(1) and 3(b)(2)
Relevant federal agencies and Indian Tribes receive read-only access to land documents in the Bureau's Trust Asset and Accounting Management System (TAAMS).Source: Sec. 3(d)
The Director must submit an annual report to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the House Committee on Natural Resources on whether deadlines were met, and the GAO must submit a study on digitizing tribal records within one year of enactment.Source: Sec. 3(e)(1) and Sec. 3(f)
The bill creates a Realty Ombudsman position within the Bureau's Division of Real Estate Services, reporting to the Secretary of the Interior, to ensure deadlines are met and to receive complaints.Source: Sec. 4(a) and 4(b)

Read the bill on congress.gov ↗

Your representatives

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House roll call

The full roll call

R174–39D205–1I1–0

Position

Party

State

Republicans

216

Democrats

211

Independents

YeaKevin KileyCA · District 3