S. 723
Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025
Sponsor: John Thune
3 cosponsors
Official summary
Written by the Congressional Research Service.
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.
Text of the bill
In this Act:
(1) Applicable Bureau office. The term applicable Bureau office means—
(A) a Regional office of the Bureau;
(B) an Agency office of the Bureau; or
(C) a Land Titles and Records Office of the Bureau.
(2) Bureau. The term Bureau means the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
(3) Director. The term Director means the Director of the Bureau.
(4) First certified title status report. The term first certified title status report means the title status report needed to verify title status on Indian land.
(5) Indian land. The term Indian land has the meaning given the term in section 162.003 of title 25, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act).
(6) Land mortgage. The term land mortgage means a mortgage obtained by an individual Indian who owns a tract of trust land for the purpose of—
(A) home acquisition;
(B) home construction;
(C) home improvements; or
(D) economic development.
(7) Leasehold mortgage. The term leasehold mortgage means a mortgage, deed of trust, or other instrument that pledges the leasehold interest of a lessee as security for a debt or other obligation owed by the lessee to a lender or other mortgagee.
(8) Mortgage package. The term mortgage package means a proposed residential leasehold mortgage, business leasehold mortgage, land mortgage, or right-of-way document submitted to an applicable Bureau office under section 3(a)(1).
(9) Relevant Federal agency. The term relevant Federal agency means any of the following Federal agencies that guarantee or make direct mortgage loans on Indian land:
(A) The Department of Agriculture.
(B) The Department of Housing and Urban Development.
(C) The Department of Veterans Affairs.
(10) Right-of-way document. The term right-of-way document has the meaning given the term in section 169.2 of title 25, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act).
(11) Subsequent certified title status report. The term subsequent certified title status report means the title status report needed to identify any liens against a residential, business, or land lease on Indian land.