STREAMLINE ACT

The STREAMLINE ACT (HR 5696) allows federally recognized tribes with specific self-governance agreements to use their own appraisals for land acquisitions on tribal reservations or adjacent trust lands, instead of requiring federal appraisals. It directly affects tribes that have assumed realty management under the Indian Self-Determination Act (ISDEAA), permitting them to submit Tribal appraisals meeting professional standards (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) for fee-to-trust land transactions. The Department of the Interior must accept these tribal appraisals if the tribe meets eligibility criteria (e.g., reservation location, assumed land management authority), reducing federal involvement to ministerial confirmation. The bill also requires tracking processing times and a 3-year evaluation of the policy’s impact, while preserving existing environmental and title review requirements.