No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings that the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas is the political successor to historic Lipan Apache bands that maintained an independent tribal identity in present-day Texas for centuries, entered government-to-government agreements with Spanish, Mexican, Republic of Texas, and U.S. authorities, and provided members who served as U.S. Army Indian Scouts. It further finds that the Tribe has preserved continuous political, cultural, and kinship ties despite 19th-century displacement, maintains an organized government and enrollment criteria, received federal judicial recognition of its members' religious practices including lifetime permits for eagle feathers, and has been denied access to federal tribal services and benefits due to lack of federal recognition.
This section defines the Secretary as the Secretary of the Interior, the Tribe as the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, and a Tribal member as an individual enrolled in the Tribe as of the date of enactment or added to its membership rolls under the Act.
This section extends federal recognition to the Tribe. It applies all federal laws of general application to Indians and Indian tribes, including the Indian Reorganization Act, to the Tribe and its members.
This section makes the Tribe and its members eligible for all federal services and benefits provided to federally recognized Indian tribes once the Secretary verifies the membership roll and both the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services develop determinations of needs. It requires the service area for delivery of those services to be determined within 120 days after enactment. It limits verification to confirming compliance with the Tribe’s membership criteria and requires completion within 2 years after the Tribe submits a digitized roll with supporting documents.
This section provides that the Tribe's official membership roll and governing documents are the most recent versions submitted to the Secretary upon enactment of this Act. It requires the Tribe to determine membership qualifications according to those documents and to maintain the roll.
This section establishes the governing body of the Tribe as the body in place on the date of enactment or any subsequent body elected in accordance with the Tribe's governing documents.