Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 114 Part 6.djvu/156

 114 STAT. 3212 CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS—DEC. 14, 2000 and, through this and other constitutional authority, Congress has plenary power over Indian affairs; (2) Congress, through statutes, treaties, and the general course of dealing with Indian tribes, has assumed the responsibility for the protection and preservation of Indian tribes and their resources; (3) the United States has a trust obligation to guard and preserve the sovereignty of Indian tribes in order to foster strong tribal governments, Indian self-determination, and economic self-sufficiency; (4) pursuant to the first section of the Act of August 9, 1955 (25 U.S.C. 415), Congress conferred upon the Secretary of the Interior the power to promulgate regulations governing tribal leases and to approve tribal leases for tribes according to regulations promulgated by the Secretary; (5) the Secretary of the Interior has promulgated the regulations described in paragraph (4) at part 162 of title 25, Code of Federal Regulations; (6) the requirement that the Secretary approve leases for the development of Navajo trust lands has added a level of review and regulation that does not apply to the development of non-Indian land; and (7) in the global economy of the 21st Century, it is crucial that individual leases of Navajo trust lands not be subject to Secretarial approval and that the Navajo Nation be able to make immediate decisions over the use of Navajo trust lands. (b) PURPOSES.— The purposes of this title are as follows: (1) To establish a streamlined process for the Navajo Nation to lease trust lands without having to obtain the approval of the Secretary of the Interior for individual leases, except leases for exploration, development, or extraction of any mineral resources. (2) To authorize the Navajo Nation, pursuant to tribal regulations, which must be approved by the Secretary, to lease Navajo trust lands without the approval of the Secretary of the Interior for the individual leases, except leases for exploration, development, or extraction of any mineral resources. (3) To revitalize the distressed Navajo Reservation by promoting political self-determination, and encouraging economic self-sufficiency, including economic development that increases productivity and the standard of living for members of the Navajo Nation. (4) To maintain, strengthen, and protect the Navajo Nation's leasing power over Navajo trust lands. (5) To ensure that the United States is faithfully executing its trust obligation to the Navajo Nation by maintaining Federal supervision through oversight of and record keeping related to leases of Navajo Nation tribal trust lands. SEC. 1203. LEASE OF RESTRICTED LANDS FOR THE NAVAJO NATION. The first section of the Act of August 9, 1955 (25 U.S.C. 415) is amended— (1) in subsection (d)— (A) in paragraph (1), by striking "and" at the end; (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and inserting a semicolon; and

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