Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2025
Officially: “Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2025” Read the full text
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1Short title
This section would provide that the Act may be cited as the Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2025.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2025 .
2Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 amendments
This section would change several parts of section 2 of the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 (25 U.S.C. 3115a). It would replace the definition of Indian forest land or rangeland with two categories of land. The first category is land that the United States holds in trust, or restricts from being sold, for an Indian tribe or a member of an Indian tribe, as long as that land is Indian forest land under the National Indian Forest Resources Management Act, has a cover of grasses, brush, or similar vegetation, or used to have a forest or plant cover that can be restored. The second category is land in Alaska that an Alaska Native Corporation holds under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. It would expand the purpose of agreements or contracts entered into under subsection (b), from protecting Indian forest land or rangeland, to protecting or restoring Indian forest land or rangeland, or carrying out a project to protect or restore Federal land, and it would update that subsection's heading to match. It would also shorten paragraph (3) of subsection (b) so that it ends by referring simply to Indian forest land or rangeland, instead of the more detailed listing it previously contained. For subsection (c), which would be relabeled to cover criteria for Federal land, it would add a criterion asking whether the Federal land has a special geographic, historical, or cultural significance to the Indian tribe. Within that criterion, one condition would be that the land is Indian forest land or rangeland, and a separate condition would be expanded to also cover a watershed, in addition to whatever land-based condition it already covered. It would change a further criterion that had referred to subject land so that it instead refers to Federal land, and change a criterion that had named the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management specifically so that it instead refers to Federal land in general, renumbering the remaining criteria paragraphs to fit. It would update subsection (g) so that a date reference runs from the date of enactment of this 2025 Amendments Act instead of the original 2004 Act. Finally, it would add a new subsection (h) authorizing $15,000,000 to be appropriated for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031 to carry out the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004.
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2. Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 amendments Section 2 of the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 ( 25 U.S.C. 3115a ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following: (2) Indian forest land or rangeland The term Indian forest land or rangeland means— (A) land that is held in trust by, or with a restriction against alienation by, the United States for an Indian tribe or a member of an Indian tribe, and— (i) is Indian forest land (as defined in section 304 of the National Indian Forest Resources Management Act ( 25 U.S.C. 3103 )); (ii) has a cover of grasses, brush, or any similar vegetation; or (iii) formerly had a forest cover or vegetative cover that is capable of restoration; and (B) land that is in the State of Alaska and held by an Alaska Native Corporation pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act ( 43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq. ). ; (2) in subsection (b)— (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting or restore after protect ; (B) in paragraph (1), by striking to protect Indian forest land or rangeland and all that follows through Indian forest land or rangeland) and inserting to protect or restore Indian forest land or rangeland, or to carry out a project to protect or restore Federal land ; and (C) in paragraph (3), by striking that is— and all that follows through the period at the end of subparagraph (B) and inserting or Indian forest land or rangeland. ; (3) in subsection (c)— (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting for Federal land after criteria ; (B) by striking an Indian tribe, in the matter preceding paragraph (1) and all that follows through Indian tribe— in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) and inserting the following: “Federal land, are whether— (1) the Federal land has a special geographic, historical, or cultural significance to the Indian tribe and— ; (C) in paragraph (1) (as so designated)— (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking clause (i) and inserting the following: (i) Indian forest land or rangeland; or ; and (ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting or watershed after land ; (D) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively; (E) in paragraph (2) (as so redesignated), by striking subject and inserting Federal ; and (F) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), by striking Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management and inserting Federal ; (4) in subsection (g), by striking date of enactment of this Act and inserting date of enactment of the Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2025 ; and (5) by adding at the end the following: (h) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031. .
Where it is
In the Senate.