Indian Issues: More Consistent and Timely Tribal Recognition Process Needed.

摘要

This report discusses the opportunity to discuss the GAO's work on the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) regulatory process for federally recognizing Indian tribes. Federal recognition of an Indian tribe can have a tremendous effect on the tribe, surrounding communities, and the nation as a whole. There are currently 562 recognized tribes with a total membership of about 1.7 million. In addition, several hundred groups are currently seeking recognition. Federally recognized tribes are eligible to participate in federal assistance programs. In fiscal year 2000, about $4 billion was appropriated for programs and funding almost exclusively for recognized tribes. Additionally, recognition establishes a formal government-to- government relationship between the United States and a tribe. The quasi-sovereign status created by this relationship exempts certain tribal lands from most state and local laws and regulations. Such exemptions generally apply to lands that the federal government has taken in trust for a tribe or its members. Currently, about 54 million acres of land are being held in trust. The exemptions also include, where applicable,laws regulating gambling. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, which regulates Indian gambling operations,permits a tribe to operate casinos on land in trust if the state in which it lies allows casino-like gambling and the tribe has entered into a compact with the state regulating its gambling businesses. In 1999, federally recognized tribes reported an estimated $10 billion in gambling revenue, surpassing the amounts that the Nevada casinos collected that year.