H.R. 7269: Helping Our People Act of 2026
Sponsor
Emily Randall
Democrat · WA-6
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Jan 27, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Let the Puyallup Tribe use its own settlement fund
Why it matters
The Puyallup Tribe's 1989 land-claims settlement set up a permanent trust fund for its members — but the original law never spelled out clearly that the Tribe could take the money out. H.R. 7269 fixes that, tying withdrawals to a federally approved management plan, and adds language to keep the Tribe on equal footing under any tribal law Congress passes from here on.
H.R. 7269 doesn't spend money or create a new fund. It amends the 1989 Puyallup settlement law so the Tribe can withdraw amounts already held in its trust fund.
Those withdrawals aren't a blank check. The bill routes them through the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act — a 1994 federal law — and requires a management plan signed off by the Interior Secretary before money moves.
The second change is a "savings provision." It says nothing in the 1989 settlement act stops the federal government from working with the Puyallup Tribe — on the same basis as any other federally recognized tribe — under federal laws passed after that act. In plain terms: a deal struck in 1989 can't be read to lock the Tribe out of opportunities created since.
The bill carries a second title in the Tribe's own Lushootseed language: the "kʷaxʷad tiiɫ ʔiišədčəɫ Act of 2026."
H.R. 7269 Bill Summary
What H.R. 7269 actually does.
The trust fund becomes withdrawable
The bill amends the 1989 Puyallup settlement law to state plainly that the Tribe may withdraw amounts held in its settlement trust fund — authority the original text left unclear.
Withdrawals run through a federal management plan
Any withdrawal must follow the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 and a management plan approved by the Interior Secretary, rather than happening at the Tribe's sole discretion.
A savings provision protects future eligibility
A new Section 14 added to the settlement act says nothing in that 1989 law prevents the United States from engaging with the Tribe, on the same basis as other federally recognized tribes, under any federal law enacted afterward.
No new money or deadlines
The bill authorizes no new appropriations, creates no new fund, sets no withdrawal deadline, and adds no penalties. It changes access to an existing fund and clarifies legal status.
Who benefits from H.R. 7269?
The Puyallup Tribe of Indians
The Tribe gains clear authority to access its own settlement trust fund — money set aside for it in 1989 — once it has a Secretary-approved management plan in place.
Puyallup Tribal members
The fund was established for the Tribe's members. If the Tribe uses the new withdrawal authority, members are the intended beneficiaries of resources that older statutory language left effectively frozen.
The Tribe's standing under future federal law
The savings provision guards against the 1989 settlement being read narrowly to exclude the Puyallup Tribe from programs and protections Congress creates later, keeping it on par with other federally recognized tribes.
Who is affected by H.R. 7269?
The Interior Department and the Secretary
Interior takes on a gatekeeping role: no withdrawal happens until the Secretary approves a management plan under the 1994 trust fund law.
Administrators of the Puyallup settlement trust fund
Whoever manages the fund would operate under the revised rules, which permit withdrawals but only through the federal management-plan process.
The federal government
The savings provision changes how the United States must read the 1989 settlement going forward, removing it as a barrier to engaging with the Tribe under later federal laws.
HR7269 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Jan 27, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
About the Sponsor
Emily Randall
Democrat, Washington's 6th congressional district · 1 years in Congress
Committees: Natural Resources, Oversight and Government Reform
View full profile →
Cosponsors (1)
This bill has 1 cosponsor: 1 Democrat. Cosponsors represent 1 state: Washington.
Committee Sponsors
Natural Resources Committee
0 of 45 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
20 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
What laws does H.R. 7269 change?
1 changes
Sections Amended
Section 6(b) of Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Act of 1989 (Public Law 101-41; 103 Stat. 87)
adding at the end the following: ``(6) Amounts in the trust fund may be withdrawn by the Tribe pursuant to the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 (25 U
H.R. 7269 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Natural Resources
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Native Americans
- Introduced
- Jan 27, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Jan 27, 2026
Official Sources
Official Congress.gov page for the Helping Our People Act of 2026, with bill text, actions, and status.
The U.S. Code text of the 1994 law H.R. 7269 expressly incorporates — every Puyallup withdrawal must run through this Act's management-plan process.
GovInfo's compiled statute PDF of Public Law 103-412, the trust fund management framework the bill points to for withdrawals.
Interior's bureau that manages financial assets held in trust for tribes, relevant because the bill ties withdrawals to a federally approved trust fund management plan.
The core Interior agency for federal-tribal relations, relevant because the bill affects a tribal settlement trust fund and the United States' engagement with the Puyallup Tribe.
The Secretary referenced throughout the bill is the Secretary of the Interior, whose department would approve any trust fund management plan.
H.R. 7269 Common Questions
What does H.R. 7269 actually do?
It amends the Puyallup Tribe's 1989 land-claims settlement so the Tribe can withdraw from its trust fund, and adds language keeping the Tribe on equal footing under federal Indian laws passed after 1989.
Why couldn't the Puyallup Tribe access the fund before?
The 1989 settlement created a permanent trust fund for Tribal members but never clearly stated the Tribe could withdraw from it. H.R. 7269 adds that authority directly to the law.
Does the Tribe need federal approval to take the money out?
Yes. Withdrawals must follow the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 and a management plan approved by the Interior Secretary before any funds move.
What is the savings provision in H.R. 7269?
It says nothing in the 1989 settlement act stops the United States from working with the Puyallup Tribe — on the same basis as other federally recognized tribes — under any federal law enacted afterward.
Does H.R. 7269 give the Puyallup Tribe any new money?
No. The bill authorizes no new appropriations and sets no dollar amount. It changes access to a trust fund that already exists rather than adding federal dollars.
Is there a deadline for the Tribe to withdraw the funds?
No. The bill sets no deadline. The operative change is simply that withdrawals are now allowed, once a Secretary-approved management plan is in place.
Who introduced H.R. 7269 and where does it stand?
Representative Emily Randall of Washington introduced it on January 27, 2026, with fellow Washington Democrat Marilyn Strickland cosponsoring. It was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Why does the bill have a name in another language?
Along with the "Helping Our People Act of 2026," the bill carries a second official title in the Puyallup Tribe's Lushootseed language: the "kʷaxʷad tiiɫ ʔiišədčəɫ Act of 2026."
Based on H.R. 7269 bill text
H.R. 7269 Bill Text
“To amend the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Act of 1989 to clarify that amounts in the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Trust Fund may be withdrawn by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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