The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) invites you to participate in formal Government-to-Government consultation regarding Tribal land acquisition funded through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117-103). The Division of Trust Land Consolidation (DTLC) was created in the BIA Office of Trust Services (OTS) to build upon the success of the Department of the Interior's Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations (Buy-Back Program), which ended on November 24, 2022, under the terms of the Cobell Settlement.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117-103) provided the BIA with $7 million to acquire fractional land interests as authorized under the Indian Land Consolidation Act (ILCA) Amendments of2000 (Public Law 106-462) and the American Indian Probate Reform Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-374). In Fiscal Year 2023; the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328) provided an additional $8 million to be available until expended. The Buy Back Program demonstrated that voluntary acquisition is an effective approach for addressing the fractionation problem. We believe that there are more individuals who are interested in selling their interests through this program and hope to engage those individuals.
We are seeking your input as the Plan sets out the DTLC's proposed implementation strategy through Fiscal Year 2026, with consideration of the constraints under which the DTLC currently operates, and the goals and priorities that will guide DTLC in carrying out its mission. The OTS, DTLC will conduct three Tribal consultation sessions and will accept oral and written comments. Please register in advance for each consultation session you plan on attending. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. These Tribal consultations will be closed to the press and the public to protect confidential information that may be discussed during the sessions.
Invitation
Sessions
Comment Deadline
We welcome your written comments, which should be submitted by email to consultation@bia.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 18, 2024.
