{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s286-114/featured_department-of-the-interior-tribal-self-governance-act-of-2015-1454547086.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s286-114/featured_large_department-of-the-interior-tribal-self-governance-act-of-2015-1454547086.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s286-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-01-28","title_override":"Should Native American Tribes Have More Power To Govern Themselves?","summary_override":"

This bill would amend the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to streamline the self-governance process for Indian tribes that would like to take on some of the responsibilities held by the federal government for themselves. It would grant Indian tribes greater responsibility in overseeing grant programs administered by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Secretary of the Interior would directed to establish a program to be known as the “Tribal Self-Governance Program’. This program would be able to select up to 50 new Indian tribes per year to participate in self-governance, and multiple eligible tribes have the option of applying jointly as a single tribe for the purpose of participating in the program.

Participation in the ‘Tribal Self-Governance Program’ requires tribes to demonstrate financial stability over the preceding three years. As part of the planning process, eligible tribes must conduct legal and budgetary research, while undergoing internal planning, training, and organizational preparation for the internal tribal government.

The Department of the Interior would be directed to negotiate a compact with self-governing Indian tribes that is consistent with the federal government’s responsibility as a trustee, treaty obligations, and government-to-government relationships between Indian tribes and the U.S.

This bill would also give self-governing Indian tribes the choice of assuming some of the federal government’s responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) as they relate to construction programs on tribal lands.

","official_title":"A bill to amend the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to provide further self-governance by Indian tribes, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Department of the Interior Tribal Self-Governance Act of 2015","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Department of the Interior Tribal Self-Governance Act of 2015\n\nTITLE I--INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION\n\nAmends the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (the Act) to change the Department of the Interior's process for approving self-governance compacts and annual funding agreements with Indian tribes. Modifies Interior's process to make it similar to processes used by the Department of Health and Human Service's Indian Health Service.\n\n(Sec. 101) Revises the definition of \"self-determination contract\" to state that no contract shall be considered to be a procurement contract or subject to federal procurement law, except for specified construction contracts. Exempts Indian tribes that expend less than $500,000 in federal award funds in a fiscal year from the requirement that a tribe submit a single-agency audit report if it receives or expends federal award funds.\n\n(Sec. 102) Directs Interior to negotiate contracts and funding agreements in good faith to maximize implementati...","summarized":true,"cost":0,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable. However, in an estimate of a previous version of this bill done in 2014, the CBO found that implementing the legislation would have no significant effect on the federal budget over the 2015-2019 period. ","impact":"Native American tribes that choose to assume self-governance responsibilities, federal agencies that interact with self-governing tribes, the Department of the Interior, and the Secretary of the Interior. ","argument_for":"This is a bipartisan legislation that simplifies the self-governance process for Native American tribes, which could lead to more economic development for the participating tribes. ","argument_against":"There should be a federal audit process in this bill to ensure that environmental laws (and others) aren’t violated if tribes assume responsibilities that would otherwise be regulated. ","bill_type":"s","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"s286-114","bill_id":"s286-114","formal_id":"S. 286","chamber":"senate","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2015-08-04T00:00:00.000Z","active":true,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":"2015-07-07T00:00:00.000Z","debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/senate-bill/286","plain_text_url":"http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114s286rfh/html/BILLS-114s286rfh.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s286-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/senate-bill/286/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2015-01-28","related_bill_ids":[],"progress":"Passed Senate","house_passage_result":false,"senate_passage_result":true,"position_count":120,"committees":[{"name":"Indigenous Peoples of the United States","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSII24","subcommittee":true},{"name":"Committee on Natural Resources","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSII","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Committee on Indian Affairs","chamber":"senate","committee_id":"SLIA","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=s286-114","details":"/api/bills/s286-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/s286-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/s286-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/s286-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":5,"slug":"s286-114-department-of-the-interior-tribal-self-governance-act-of-2015","latest_chamber_votes_id":null,"official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":2946,"yea_vote_count":2164,"nay_vote_count":776,"passed_house":false,"passed_senate":true,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["native-americans","legal-affairs"],"issue_ids":["native-americans","legal-affairs","federal-agencies","private-sector"],"sponsor_id":601}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"native-americans","name":"Native Americans","slug":"native-americans","description":"US Congressional Law related to Federal Indian relations, Native American Claims, Lands and Social and Development Programs.","page_title":"US Federal legislation related to Native American Affairs - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/native-americans/black_native-americans-1429042038.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/native-americans/grey_native-americans-1429042038.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/native-americans/white_native-americans-1429042038.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"legal-affairs","name":"Legal Affairs","slug":"legal-affairs","description":"The US Congress regulates many aspects of American Legal Affairs, including: the US Federal Courts(Appellate and District), Judges, the US Supreme Court, Civil Action, The Constitution and Constitutional Amendments.","page_title":"US Federal legislation related to Legal Affairs, including the Constitution and the Supreme Court - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/legal-affairs/black_legal-affairs-1429042044.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/legal-affairs/grey_legal-affairs-1429042044.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/legal-affairs/white_legal-affairs-1429042044.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"federal-agencies","name":"Federal Agencies","slug":"federal-agencies","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Federal Agencies. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Federal Agencies Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/black_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/grey_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/white_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"private-sector","name":"Private Sector","slug":"private-sector","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Private Sector. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. ","page_title":"Private Sector Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/private-sector/black_private-sector-1429042058.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/private-sector/grey_private-sector-1429042058.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/private-sector/white_private-sector-1429042058.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"pbright7of7","vote_count":30,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/jZBMpJMW/following","followers":"/api/users/jZBMpJMW/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"pbright7of7","issue_count":0,"is_following":null,"influence_score":30,"influence_level":10,"follower_count":1,"following_count":0,"position_count":16,"id":"jZBMpJMW","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"397c6bc6-3a3d-410d-965b-3d3872cf0e0f","argument_for":"Haven't the Americans done enough damage to these wonderful people? Let them have as much power for themselves as they want.","argument_against":null,"show_argument_for":true,"show_argument_against":false,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":0,"upvotes_against_count":null,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/397c6bc6-3a3d-410d-965b-3d3872cf0e0f"},"body":"Haven't the Americans done enough damage to these wonderful people? Let them have as much power for themselves as they want.","stance":"yea","created_at":"2015-07-09T14:54:35.724Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/397c6bc6-3a3d-410d-965b-3d3872cf0e0f.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"s286-114","user_id":"jZBMpJMW","endorser_ids":[]}}

Like Causes?

pbright7of7

Should Native American Tribes Have More Power To Govern Themselves?