Chairman Hoeven: Congress Sends Stigler Act Amendments of 2018 to President

Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Thursday announced that Congress has passed the Stigler Act Amendments of 2018, sending it to the President to be signed into law. The legislation passed the House of Representatives today with an amendment supported by Senators James Lankford and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma.

H.R. 2606 repeals certain provisions in Federal law regarding the restricted lands of members of the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma. The legislation is specific to the allotted tribal member lands of the five civilized tribes of Oklahoma- Choctaw, Chickasaw, Mvskoke (Creek), Cherokee, and Seminole. It amends the Stigler Act of 1947 by removing the one-half degree Indian blood quantum requirement needed to retain the restricted status of inherited allotted tribal member lands and brings parity to probate related matters in Oklahoma.

H.R. 2606 was introduced by Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK-4) on May 23, 2017 and passed the House of Representatives on September 12, 2018. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held aLegislative Hearing to receive testimony on the bill on November 14, 2018. The Committee held a Business Meeting on the bill and reported favorably on the bill on November 28, 2018. The bill was amended in the Senate, and returned to the House for consideration. The legislation will now be sent to the White House for President Trump’s signature.