Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025
Signed into law May 4, 2026 · Native Americans
What this law does
- Requires the Bureau of Indian Affairs to approve or reject mortgage and right-of-way documents on Indian land within 20 or 30 days.
- Requires the Bureau to notify lenders when documents arrive, do a first review within 10 days and report delays.
- Sets response times for completing land title status reports.
- Gives federal agencies and tribes read-only access to the Bureau's trust asset records system.
- Creates a Realty Ombudsman position and requires a study on digitizing mortgage documents for Indian land.
Plain-language list by Voting On, based only on the official summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service and the bill's titles. Read the official summary.
How it became law
- IntroducedFeb 25, 2025 · Senate
- 289 daysPassed SenateDec 11, 2025
- 83 daysPassed HouseMar 4, 2026
- 54 daysPresented to the PresidentApr 27, 2026
- 7 daysSigned into lawMay 4, 2026
Official summary
Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025
This act sets forth requirements for the processing of a proposed residential leasehold mortgage, business leasehold mortgage, land mortgage, or right-of-way document by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The BIA must notify lenders upon receipt of such documentation, perform a preliminary review of such documents not later than 10 days after receipt, and approve or disapprove of such documents within 20 or 30 days, depending on the type of application.
Additionally, the act sets forth requirements for the BIA regarding (1) response times for the completion of certified title status reports, (2) notification of delays in processing, and (3) the form of notices and delivery of certain reports.
The act also provides relevant federal agencies and Indian tribes with read-only access to the Trust Asset and Accounting Management System maintained by the BIA.
The Government Accountability Office must report on digitizing documents for the purpose of streamlining and expediting the completion of mortgage packages for residential mortgages on Indian land.
Finally, the act establishes within the BIA's Division of Real Estate Services the position of Realty Ombudsman.
Summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (Public Law, May 4, 2026).
Who wrote it
Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
3 cosponsors: 1 Democrats, 2 Republicans. 2 signed on the day it was introduced, 1 joined later.
Show all cosponsors
| Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|
| Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] | Feb 25, 2025 | Original cosponsor |
| Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] | Feb 25, 2025 | Original cosponsor |
| Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND] | Sep 16, 2025 |
Recorded votes
| Date | Chamber | Vote | Yeas | Nays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 4, 2026 | House | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 384 - 40 (Roll no. 81). | 384 | 40 |
What was added
Amendments adopted (0)
No floor amendments were adopted. Any changes were made in committee or in a later version of the bill.
Sections in the final law that were not in the first version (Introduced in Senate) (0)
None. Every section heading in the final law was already in the first version (Introduced in Senate).
What was removed
Sections in the first version (Introduced in Senate) that did not make it into the law (0)
None. Every section heading from the first version (Introduced in Senate) remains in the law.
Compared by section heading between the Introduced in Senate text (Feb 25, 2025) and the Enrolled Bill text, both from GovInfo. Wording changes inside a section that kept its heading are not shown here; see the amendments and the text versions.
Proposed but not adopted
No amendments were voted down or withdrawn.
Full action history
Show all 26 official actions
| May 4, 2026 | Signed by President. |
| May 4, 2026 | Signed by President. |
| May 4, 2026 | Became Public Law No: 119-88. |
| May 4, 2026 | Became Public Law No: 119-88. |
| Apr 27, 2026 | Presented to President. |
| Apr 27, 2026 | Presented to President. |
| Mar 4, 2026 | Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. |
| Mar 4, 2026 | Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 384 - 40 (Roll no. 81). |
| Mar 4, 2026 | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 384 - 40 (Roll no. 81). |
| Mar 4, 2026 | Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H2390) |
| Mar 3, 2026 | At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed. |
| Mar 3, 2026 | DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 723. |
| Mar 3, 2026 | Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2359-2362; text: CR H2359-2361) |
| Mar 3, 2026 | Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. |
| Dec 15, 2025 | Held at the desk. |
| Dec 15, 2025 | Received in the House. |
| Dec 15, 2025 | Message on Senate action sent to the House. |
| Dec 11, 2025 | Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. |
| Dec 11, 2025 | Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S8689-8691; text: CR S8689-8691) |
| Sep 29, 2025 | Star Print ordered on 119-60. |
| Sep 3, 2025 | Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Murkowski without amendment. With written report No. 119-60. |
| Sep 3, 2025 | Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Murkowski without amendment. With written report No. 119-60. |
| Sep 3, 2025 | Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 148. |
| Mar 5, 2025 | Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. |
| Feb 25, 2025 | Introduced in Senate |
| Feb 25, 2025 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. (text: CR S1350-1352) |
Sources: Congress.gov (bill record, sponsors, actions, amendments, CRS summary) and GovInfo (official text). Days are calendar days.