S. 748 · Where this bill is now
In the House
Passed the Senate Dec 15, 2025. Received Dec 16, 2025; no House vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryRestores tribal land trust authority for Lytton Rancheria
A 2009 Supreme Court ruling made it harder for the federal government to take land into trust (a legal arrangement where the government holds land for a tribe's benefit) for certain tribes. This bill fixes that problem for the Lytton Rancheria of California by saying the Indian Reorganization Act applies to them. It also gives the Department of the Interior permission to acquire land and hold it in trust for the tribe, making that land part of their reservation.
How it affects you
The Lytton Rancheria of California would directly benefit from this change, as it allows the tribe to expand its land base and have the federal government protect that land for their use. Most other Americans would not see a direct effect from this bill.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Feb 26, 2025)
This bill applies the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) to the Lytton Rancheria of California. Additionally, the bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to acquire and take land into trust for the benefit of the tribe under the IRA. Land taken into trust shall be part of the tribe's reservation.
A 2009 Supreme Court case, Carcieri v. Salazar , decided that Interior could not take land into trust for a specified tribe because that tribe had not been under federal jurisdiction when the IRA was enacted in 1934. This bill (1) affirms the applicability of the IRA to the Lytton Rancheria of California, thereby deeming the tribe to be under federal jurisdiction as of June 18, 1934, for purposes of the IRA; and (2) authorizes Interior to take land into trust for the benefit of the tribe.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 748
AN ACT
A bill to reaffirm the applicability of the Indian Reorganization Act to the Lytton Rancheria of California, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) · Introduced Feb 26, 2025 · Native Americans · 3 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Dec 16, 2025: “Held at the desk.”
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 3 official versions.