Rep. Paul Gosar introduced the bipartisan American Indian Trust Responsibility Review Act of 2015 with the support of 17 cosponsors including Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick.
The last formal review by Congress was conducted by the American Indian Policy Review Commission (AIPRC). AIPRC’s final report issued in 1977 made a number of recommendations regarding how the trust relationship might be strengthened and implemented. While several of these recommendations have been incorporated in one form or another, many were never adopted.
According to Gosar, new challenges and opportunities have arisen in the intervening decades and there has been no continuing review of the trust relationship, particularly the extent to which it has been implemented by the United States.
Gosar argues that the report will provide the agencies charged with administering the trust relationship with a blueprint for managing their relationships with federally recognized tribes.
“Over the years, the trust relationship between the United States and American Indian tribes has eroded. There is no excuse that a comprehensive review of federal policy on the trust responsibility and the gap between its ideals and its reality for Indian tribes has not been conducted in the last 40 years,” stated Gosar.
“The comprehensive review established by my bipartisan legislation will allow Congress to exercise oversight over the Executive Branch and provide a blueprint for better administration of the trust relationship with federally recognized tribes as well as allow for the pursuit of policies that allow tribes maximum self-determination,” concluded Gosar.
The 17 bipartisan cosponsors that joined Congressman Gosar in introducing this legislation include: Tony Cardenas, Paul Cook, Debbie Dingell, Trent Franks, Mike Honda, Walter Jones, Doug LaMalfa, Markwayne Mullin, Ed Perlmutter, Charles Rangel, Gregorio Sablan, David Schweikert, Scott Tipton, Norma Torres, Don Young, and Ryan Zinke