Description:
H.R. 2606 would amend the Act of August 4, 1947 (commonly known as the Stigler Act) to revise the qualifications that need to be met by a person who inherits land originally allotted to members of the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma—Cherokee, Creek (Muscogee), Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole Tribes—for that land to remain in restricted status. Land in restricted status can only be conveyed or encumbered by an Indian owner with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior according to Indian land conveyance provisions and limitations found in the Code of Federal Regulations. The act would not apply to individuals that have inherited property in restricted status prior to enactment. Because the relevant land would remain privately owned whether it is held in restricted status or otherwise, CBO estimates that implementing the act would have no federal cost. Enacting H.R. 2606 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2606 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029. H.R. 2606 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. On August 14, 2018, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 2606, the Stigler Act Amendments of 2018, as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on June 13, 2018. The two versions of H.R. 2606 are similar and CBO’s estimates of their budgetary effects are the same.
