In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) are proposing to renew an information collection.

Abstract: The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA or Act), 25 U.S.C. 1901 et seq., imposes certain requirements for child custody proceedings that occur in State court when a child is an “Indian child.” The regulations, primarily located in Subpart I of 25 CFR 23, provide procedural guidance for implementing ICWA, which necessarily involves information collections to determine whether the child is Indian, provide notice to the Tribe and parents or Indian custodians, and maintain records. The information collections are conducted during a civil action (i.e., a child custody proceeding). While these civil actions occur in State court, and the U.S. is not a party to the civil action, the civil action is subject to the Federal statutory requirements of ICWA, which the Secretary of the Interior oversees under the Act and general authority to manage Indian affairs under 25 U.S.C. 2 and 9.