TERRA Act
Sponsored By: Representative Randall
In Committee
Summary
Gives Tribes a single, tribe‑led system to bundle federal funding, waivers, permitting, and land‑into‑trust decisions for climate and disaster relocation. The bill would make the Department of the Interior the lead agency with exclusive authority to approve Tribal Plans that integrate programs, speed waivers, and coordinate funding and permitting.
Show full summary
- Tribal families and communities would be able to submit community‑driven Plans that cover relocation, housing, infrastructure, health, and related costs and may include geospatial site identification. Approved Plans would replace many agency reports with one standardized annual report and are to receive a Secretary decision within 90 days or be deemed approved.
- Tribal governments and administrators would gain a clear waiver path across affected agencies. Agencies must rule on waiver requests within 45 days or the waiver is deemed approved and unresolved disputes move to a 30‑day interagency process with the Secretary holding final authority.
- Federal funding and permitting would be coordinated under Interior. Agencies would transfer funds within 30 days after apportionment and the Secretary would distribute funds to Tribes within 45 days, the bill authorizes agencies to set aside at least 10% for Tribal Plans and lets Tribes carry over transferred funds without a fiscal year limit.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Fast-track waivers and permits for Tribes
If enacted, Tribes could ask agencies to waive rules listed in a Plan; agencies would have 45 days to decide or the waiver would be deemed granted. If there is a dispute, the Secretary would run an interagency process to resolve it within 30 days. For approved Plans, Interior would invite all permitting agencies; they would join unless they opt out in writing within 14 days. The Tribe, Interior, and agencies would set a project schedule within 60 days of Plan approval (updated every 6 months), aim to finish environmental reviews within one year, and issue decisions within 90 days after receiving all needed information. Tribes could sue without first using agency hearings; courts could set deadlines (generally within 90 days), order agencies to act, and award fees if the Tribe substantially prevails.
Flexible funding and less paperwork for Tribes
If enacted, Tribal Plans could combine eligible federal programs for climate resilience, disaster relief, housing, infrastructure, economic development, utilities, public health, and more, including formula, competitive, noncompetitive, or block grants. Agencies would send funds to Interior within 30 days of apportionment, and Interior would send them to the Tribe within 45 days; Tribes could move money within the Plan without extra waivers. Unspent funds could carry over without a year limit, Tribes could recover 100% of indirect costs, keep interest, and count funds as non‑Federal for matching; agencies may set aside at least 10% of program funds. The Secretary could provide limited interim funding before approval on request, and Tribes with approved Plans would file one annual report instead of multiple program reports. The bill would bar cutting a Tribe’s federal funding for proposing or running a Plan and would keep Indian Self-Determination contracting options unchanged.
Interior would lead and speed Tribal plans
If enacted, the Department of the Interior would be the lead agency and have sole authority over Tribal Plan decisions. The Secretary would approve or deny a Plan within 90 days, with one extra 90-day extension only if the Tribe agrees; no response in 90 days would mean approval. If a denial is only about an unresolved waiver, the Secretary would approve the rest and finish approval 45 days after the waiver is resolved. The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs would set up an interagency agreement within 180 days, create a Tribal working group, and hold yearly meetings. The Secretary would also send Congress a status report not later than two years after enactment.
Protect Tribal ecological knowledge from release
If enacted, Traditional Ecological Knowledge submitted with a Plan would be kept confidential. It would be exempt from FOIA and other disclosure laws, including FACA, the Open Government Data Act, and NEPA. TEK includes information about natural, cultural, and historical resources.
Quicker land-into-trust for relocation
If enacted, the Secretary would take land into trust on a Tribe’s request when it was bought with Plan funds, or when the Tribe faces imminent environmental risk that blocks use for relocation. The Secretary could also take Tribe‑owned land into trust for Plan use with relaxed paperwork if the Plan includes enough detail. The Secretary would use the normal trust rules and this bill’s environmental review, and would act within the same timeframes used for Plan approval decisions.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Randall
WA • D
Cosponsors
Perez
WA • D
Sponsored 5/29/2025
Simpson
ID • R
Sponsored 5/29/2025
Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3]
KS • D
Sponsored 5/29/2025
Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/29/2025
Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/29/2025
Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]
PA • R
Sponsored 5/29/2025
Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10]
WA • D
Sponsored 5/29/2025
Rep. Moolenaar, John R. [R-MI-2]
MI • R
Sponsored 5/29/2025
Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
CO • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6]
MI • D
Sponsored 7/14/2025
Cole
OK • R
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Ellzey
TX • R
Sponsored 2/10/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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