S. 719 · Passed Senate · Native Americans

Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2025

Sponsor: Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

What it does

• Reauthorizes the Tribal Forest Protection Act through fiscal year 2031.
• Expands eligibility to include Alaska Native corporation lands and removes the requirement that federal lands be adjacent to tribal lands, replacing it with a geographic, historical, or cultural significance standard.
• Permits TFPA projects to be carried out directly on Indian forest lands and rangelands, not only on federal lands.

Official summary

Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2025 This bill reauthorizes through FY2031 the Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA) and expands the lands and activities eligible for inclusion in the TFPA. Currently under the TFPA, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) may enter into contracts and agreements with Indian tribes for tribes to carry out land management projects on federal lands. These projects are designed to protect Indian forest lands and rangelands from wildfire, disease, and other threats coming from federal lands. However, the TFPA is currently limited to projects on federal lands that border or are adjacent to Indian forest lands and rangelands under the jurisdiction of the tribe. This bill removes certain limitations of the TFPA, first by expanding the definition of Indian forest land or rangeland to include land in Alaska that is held by Alaska Native corporations, thereby allowing these corporations to participate in TFPA projects. Additionally, the bill removes the requirement that TFPA projects must occur on federal lands that border or are adjacent to Indian forest lands or rangelands. The bill instead requires the federal…

Latest action

Dec 15, 2025: Held at the desk.

Committee: Senate Indian Affairs