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
(a) In general. The Director shall establish within the Division of Real Estate Services of the Bureau the position of Realty Ombudsman, who shall report directly to the Secretary of the Interior.
(b) Functions. The Realty Ombudsman shall—
(1) ensure that the applicable Bureau offices are meeting the mortgage review and processing deadlines established by section 3(a);
(2) ensure that the applicable Bureau offices comply with the notices required under subsections (a) and (b) of section 3;
(3) serve as a liaison to other Federal agencies, including by—
(A) ensuring the Bureau is responsive to all of the inquiries from the relevant Federal agencies; and
(B) helping to facilitate communications between the relevant Federal agencies and the Bureau on matters relating to mortgages on Indian land;
(4) receive inquiries, questions, and complaints directly from Indian Tribes, members of Indian Tribes, and lenders in regard to executed residential leasehold mortgages, business leasehold mortgages, land mortgages, or right-of-way documents; and
(5) serve as the intermediary between the Indian Tribes, members of Indian Tribes, and lenders and the Bureau in responding to inquiries and questions and resolving complaints.