The Department of the Interior (Department) invites Tribal Leaders to consult on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the Department's Land Acquisition regulations, 25 CFR Part 151, and the NPRM for the Department's Class III Tribal State Gaming Compact Process, 25 CFR Part 293.
25 CFR Part 151, Land Acquisition
Since the Department first promulgated these regulations in 1980, it has developed extensive experience in the fee-to-trust acquisition process. Relying on that experience and input from Tribes, this proposed rule seeks to make the fee-to-trust process more efficient, simpler, and less expensive to support restoration of Tribal homelands.
- The proposed Part 151 rule published in the Federal Register at the following link on December 5, 2022: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-12-05/pdf/2022-25735.pdf
- The current regulations can also be found at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2021-title25-vol1/pdf/CFR-2021-title25-vol1-part151.pdf
25 CFR Part 293, Class III Tribal State Gaming Compact Process
The Department is developing proposed updates to Part 293 to provide clear guidance regarding the Secretary's review and evaluation process for Tribal-State class III gaming compacts. The current regulations do not identify the factors the Department considers; rather, those factors are contained in a series of decision letters issued by the Department since the enactment of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988. Recent and ongoing litigation highlights the need for the Department to clarify how it will review or analyze gaming compacts to determine whether they comply with federal law.
- The proposed Part 293 rule published in the Federal Register at the following link on December 6, 2022: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-12-06/pdf/2022-25741.pdf
- The current regulations can also be found at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2021-title25-vol1/pdf/CFR-2021-title25-vol1-part293.pdf
Tribal Consultation
The Department will conduct two virtual consultation sessions and one in-person consultation to obtain further Tribal input on the Part 151 NPRM and the Part 293 NPRM. The consultation sessions will be open to Tribal leadership and representatives of federally recognized Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations. Please join us at one or more of the following consultations sessions.
If you would like to provide written comments, please email them to consultation@bia.gov by 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
Invitation
Consultation Materials
Sessions
Comment Deadline
Please submit written comments to consultation@bia.gov by 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
