The United States Senate passes the Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act unanimously.
South Dakota Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds introduced the legislation in January.
The act is meant to quicken the Bureau for Indian Affairs’ (BIA) process of approving mortgage applications that apply to Tribal Trust Land. It would also create the requirement for a third person party position to be created within the BIA. The new position would serve as a mediator between the BIA and tribal communities.
The act will now go to the House of Representatives. Senators Rounds and Thune released a statement urging the House to evaluate the act sooner rather than later. Their statement also applauds the Senate for the bipartisan decision.
