Senate panel advances bill expanding tribal lease authority

According to Tribal Business News, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Wednesday approved legislation that would give all federally recognized tribes authority to issue 99-year leases on trust lands. The Unlocking Native Lands and Opportunities for Commerce and Key Economic Developments Act of 2025 would amend the Long-Term Leasing Act of 1955.

According to Tribal Business News, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who co-sponsored the measure with Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said the bill would let tribes self-regulate leasing and better secure financing for infrastructure and economic development projects. The panel also received testimony on four tribal-specific bills addressing lease authority, jurisdictional barriers and land transfers affecting the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the Shivwits Band of Paiutes, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.