S. 1703: A bill to amend the Act of June 18, 1934, to reaffirm the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for Indian tribes.

111th Congress · introduced 2009-09-24 · Native Americans · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 515.

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Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2009-09-24 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Dorgan, Byron L. [D-ND] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 515. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

A bill to amend the Act of June 18, 1934, to reaffirm the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for Indian tribes.

Plain summary

Amends the Act commonly known as the Indian Reorganization Act to apply the Act to all federally recognized Indian tribes, regardless of when any tribe became recognized. (This effectively overrules the Supreme Court's decision in Carcieri v. Salazar, which held that the Secretary of the Interior could not take land into trust for a specified tribe because that tribe had not been under federal jurisdiction when the Act was enacted.) Makes such amendments retroactive as if included in the Indian Reorganization Act as of the date of its enactment on June 18, 1934. Provides that this Act does not affect any law other than the Indian Reorganization Act or limit the Secretary of the Interior's authority under any federal law or regulation other than the Indian Reorganization Act. Requires the Secretary to conduct and submit to Congress a study that: (1) describes the Carcieri decision's effect on Indian tribes and tribal land; and (2) includes a list of each affected Indian tribe and parcel of tribal land.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s)), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

A bill to amend the Act of June 18, 1934, to reaffirm the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for Indian tribes.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s))

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Dorgan, Byron L. [D-ND] · 12 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 1703, A bill to amend the act of June 18, 1934, to reaffirm the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for Indian tribes (2010-03-26); CBO cost estimate: S. 1703, A bill to amend the act of June 18, 1934, to reaffirm the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for Indian tribes (2010-03-26)

Cosponsors on this site

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s))
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111s1703.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/s>

Record fed-us-cong111-s1703 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111