Indian Country Legislation in U.S. House of Representatives

• H.R.2930, the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act, also known as the STOP Act. The bill addresses the illegal trafficking of tribal cultural items by facilitating their repatriation to tribal nations. It was written in response to an alarming number of auctions of tribal property taking place overseas.

• H.R.4352, a legislative fix to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. The bill ensures that all tribes — regardless of the date of their federal recognition — can follow the land-into-trust process. Under the measure, any trust land acquisitions since 2009 are deemed to have been “ratified and confirmed” by Congress, a step that would prevent litigation and other challenges.

• H.R.897, the Agua Caliente Land Exchange Fee to Trust Confirmation Act. The bill places about 2,500 acres into trust for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. The lands are of cultural and historical importance to the tribe, located in southern California.

• H.R.2074, the Indian Buffalo Management Act. The bill creates a permanent program at the Department of the Interior to help promote and develop tribal capacity to manage buffalo, or bison, herds.