There is no land-into-trust moratorium at the Interior Department, officials said at the National Congress of American Indians mid-year conference on Monday.

Tribes have complained that their applications went nowhere during the Bush administration. They hoped President Barack Obama would set a new course but the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar put a snag in the process just a month after he took office.

"I can vouch that these fee-to-trust applications are moving; it can just be a long process,” Pilar Thomas, the deputy Interior solicitor, told tribal leaders at NCAI, The Rapid City Journal reported.

A bill to fix the decision has stalled in Congress. Interior plans to address the decision internally but no proposals have been announced publicly.

NCAI's mid-year conference runs through Wednesday.

Get the Story:
Native congress pushes U.S. to sign rights declaration (The Rapid City Journal 6/22)

Land-Into-Trust Fix:
S.1703 | H.R.3697 | H.R.3742

Supreme Court Decision:
Syllabus | Opinion [Thomas] | Concurrence [Breyer] | Dissent [Stevens] | Concurrence/Dissent [Souter]

Supreme Court Documents:
Oral Argument Transcript | Briefs

Related Stories:
Legislation to fix land-into-trust decision remains in limbo (05/10)
Sen. Schumer warns DOI against land-into-trust action (03/09)
Editorial: Congress must address land-into-trust ruling (01/11)
Indian Affairs Committee passes land-into-trust fix (12/18)
Agenda for Senate Indian Affairs business meeting (12/16)
Obama weighs other options for land-into-trust fix (11/20)
Rep. Kennedy backs bill to fix land-into-trust ruling (11/06)
Audio: House Resources hearing on land-into-trust (11/4)
Obama administration supports land-into-trust fix (11/4)
Witness list for House hearing on land-into-trust (11/3)
House Resources hearing on land-into-trust fix (10/29)
Schwarzennegger opposes Lytton land-into-trust (10/26)
Byron Dorgan: Urgent fix to land-into-trust ruling (10/22)
Towns in Connecticut fight land-into-trust fix (10/14)
Anti-gaming group fights land-into-trust fix (10/6)
Cole introduces fix to land-into-trust decision (10/2)
Land-into-trust bill lacks Republican sponsors (9/29)
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe welcomes land fix (9/25)
Dorgan introduces fix to land-into-trust ruling (9/24)