Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5910 ensures that all federally recognized Tribes have equal access to long-term leasing authority necessary for economic development and financing. By extending 99-year leasing authority across all of Indian Country, this bill promotes fairness, efficiency, and investment in Tribal communities. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Hageman for her leadership on this issue. I urge the passage of H.R. 5910, and I yield back the balance of my time.
H.R. 5910: To authorize leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for federally recognized Indian Tribes.
Introduced Nov 4, 20254 cosponsors
Sponsor
Harriet Hageman
Republican · WY
Bill Progress
IntroducedNov 4
Committee
Pass HouseMar 3
Pass Senate
Signed
Law
Latest Action · Mar 4, 2026
1/3
Passed the House, received in Senate
Long land leases shouldn't depend on a 1955 list
3 min readLast updated June 8, 2026
Why it matters
A 99-year lease can be the difference between trust land sitting idle and a tribe landing a housing development, a grocery store, or a solar farm. Right now that long-term option is locked to tribes and reservations named in a decades-old law. H.R. 5910 opens it to every federally recognized tribe.
Federal law has long capped how long most tribes can lease their trust land. A 1955 statute does allow 99-year leases, but only for a specific list of tribes and reservations written into the text over the years. If your tribe wasn't named, you didn't clearly have that option.
H.R. 5910 fixes that by adding one phrase: any tribe on the Interior Department's official list of federally recognized tribes can use the same 99-year authority. It's a parity move, not a new program.
Why the length matters: long leases are how outside money gets comfortable. A developer, a bank, or a business tenant wants enough runway to recoup the investment. A 25-year cap scares that money off; 99 years lets a deal pencil out while the land stays in trust.
The bill doesn't sell tribal land or pull it out of trust, and it doesn't create any federal spending. It changes the legal toolkit, then leaves the decision to each tribe. The House passed it by voice vote in March 2026 with bipartisan sponsors, so the real test is now in the Senate.
H.R. 5910 Bill Summary
What H.R. 5910 actually does.
1
Every recognized tribe can offer 99-year leases
Trust land held for any federally recognized tribe could be leased for up to 99 years, the same maximum already available to certain named tribes and reservations.
2
Eligibility runs off the official federal list
A tribe qualifies if it appears on the list of federally recognized tribes the Interior Department publishes under the 1994 recognition law.
3
The land stays in trust
The bill authorizes long leases only. It does not sell tribal land or remove it from federal trust status.
4
No new spending
The text creates no grant program and directs no federal money. It is purely a change to leasing authority.
Who benefits from H.R. 5910?
Federally recognized tribes not named in the old law
The roughly 574 tribes on the federal list would gain clear authority to negotiate long leases — the biggest change lands on those left off the 1955 statute's named list.
Tribal housing and development entities
Longer terms make it far easier to finance and build housing, retail, energy, and community projects on trust land.
Lenders and business partners
A 99-year horizon gives banks and tenants enough certainty that a project can last long enough to repay loans or earn a return.
Tribal members and surrounding communities
More buildable land can translate into jobs, housing, and services that didn't make financial sense under short leases.
Who is affected by H.R. 5910?
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
The committee holds the bill and will decide whether it advances, gets amended, or stalls.
Department of the Interior
Interior's published list of federally recognized tribes becomes the gatekeeper for who qualifies for the expanded authority.
Tenants and developers on tribal land
Businesses, nonprofits, and housing partners could be offered much longer lease terms if a tribe chooses to extend them.
On the Record
What Congress Is Saying
H.R. 5910 has come up 8 times in the Congressional Record so far.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, H.R. 5910, which amends the Long-Term Leasing Act to authorize any federally recognized Indian Tribe to lease land held in trust for its benefit for up to 99 years. With the enactment of the Indian Nonintercourse Act in 1834, Tribal land transactions have generally required congressional authorization. In 1955, however, Congress passed the Long-Term Leasing Act, authorizing Tribal lands held in trust to be leased by the Tribal owner for nongrazing purposes for up to 25 years, subject to approval from the Secretary of the Interior.
H.R. 5910 also appeared in 2 routine cosponsor filings.
HR5910 Legislative Journey
Committee Action
Mar 4, 2026
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
House: Vote Held
Mar 3, 2026
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2348)
House: Committee Action
Jan 14, 2026
Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-453.
House: Passed Committee
Dec 17, 2025
Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.
+1 more action this day
House: Committee Action
Nov 4, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
About the Sponsor
Harriet Hageman
Republican, Wyoming · 3 years in Congress
Committees: House Select Subcommittee to Investigate the Remaining Questions Surrounding January 6, 2021, Natural Resources, the Judiciary
View full profile →
Cosponsors (4)
No new cosponsors in 182 days — momentum stalled
This bill has 4 cosponsors: 2 Democrats, 2 Republicans, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 4 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, and 1 more.
2Democrats2Republicans·4 statesBipartisan
Committee Sponsors
Indian Affairs Committee
5D6R
|0 signed11 not yet0 of 11 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
Natural Resources Committee
20D25R
|3 signed42 not yet3 of 45 committee members cosponsored
30 Republicans across these committees haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 5910 Quick Facts
Cosponsors
4
- Committee
- Indian Affairs
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Native Americans
- Introduced
- Nov 4, 2025
Passed the House, received in Senate
Mar 4, 2026
Official Sources
H.R. 5910 on Congress.gov
The official bill page with full text, actions, and status as it moves through the Senate.
25 U.S.C. 415 — Leases of restricted lands
The 1955 Long-Term Leasing Act provision H.R. 5910 amends to extend 99-year lease authority.
25 U.S.C. 5131 — Publication of list of recognized tribes
The statute whose published list defines which tribes would gain the expanded leasing authority.
BIA Tribal Leaders Directory
Interior's directory of the federally recognized tribes that the bill would make eligible.
BIA Residential Leases on Tribal Lands
How the Bureau of Indian Affairs approves leases on trust land — the process longer terms would run through.
BIA Fee to Trust Land Acquisitions
Explains trust land status, which the bill preserves while only extending how long it can be leased.
U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
The committee now holding H.R. 5910 and deciding whether to advance, amend, or hold it.
H.R. 5910 Common Questions
How long can a tribe lease its trust land under H.R. 5910?
Up to 99 years. H.R. 5910 lets any federally recognized tribe lease land held in trust for terms as long as 99 years.
Doesn't 99-year tribal leasing already exist?
For some tribes, yes. A 1955 law already allows 99-year leases, but only for a list of specific tribes and reservations written into the statute. H.R. 5910 extends that same option to every federally recognized tribe.
Which tribes qualify for the longer leases?
Any tribe on the Interior Department's official list of federally recognized tribes — currently around 574 — would qualify under H.R. 5910, not just the ones named in the older law.
Does H.R. 5910 sell tribal land or take it out of trust?
No. The bill only changes how long trust land can be leased. The land stays in federal trust status, and nothing is sold.
Why do tribes need leases this long?
Long terms make development financeable. Lenders, builders, and business tenants often won't fund a project on a short lease, so a 99-year option gives them the runway to recoup an investment while the land stays in trust.
Does H.R. 5910 cost taxpayers anything?
The bill creates no grant program and directs no federal spending. It changes leasing authority for tribal trust land and nothing more.
Has H.R. 5910 passed, and where does it stand now?
The House passed H.R. 5910 by voice vote in March 2026. It's now in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, where senators will decide whether to advance, amend, or hold it.
Is H.R. 5910 a bipartisan bill?
Yes. H.R. 5910 was introduced by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) and picked up cosponsors from both parties before passing the House by voice vote.
Based on H.R. 5910 bill text
H.R. 5910 Bill Text
“To authorize leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for federally recognized Indian Tribes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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