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S. 1879: Interior Improvement Act

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S. 1879: Interior Improvement Act

114th Congress · introduced 2015-07-28 · Native Americans · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 514.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2015-07-28 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 514. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. 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

Interior Improvement Act

Plain summary

Interior Improvement Act (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Indian Reorganization Act to expand the definition of Indian to include members of Indian tribes that were federally recognized after June 18, 1934. Trust acquisitions by the Department of the Interior for tribes recognized after June 18, 1934, are ratified and confirmed. (Sec. 3) Indian tribes and individual Indians may apply to Interior to have off-reservation land taken into trust for the benefit of that tribe or individual. An application must include specified information, including a description of the need for the proposed acquisition and the purpose for which the property is to be used. Interior must publish these applications and notify jurisdictions contiguous to land included in an application. Interior must encourage applicants to enter into cooperative agreements with contiguous jurisdictions. An application with a cooperative agreement is automatically approved if Interior does not make a decision on the application within a specified number of days. In making a decision on an application that does not include a cooperative agreement, Interior must determine whether anticipated impacts on contiguous jurisdictions have been mitigated and consider whether contiguous jurisdictions failed to work in good faith to reach an agreement with the applicant.

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

Interior Improvement Act

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

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 1879, Interior Improvement Act (2016-05-31)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY] reported raising $1.8 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

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 (1)
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).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong114-s1879 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114