This legislation grants Federal recognition to the Mono Lake Kootzaduka'a Tribe, ensuring that all Federal laws and regulations applicable to Indians and Indian tribes will now apply to the Tribe and its members. This recognition makes the Tribe and its members eligible for all services and benefits provided by the United States to federally recognized Indian Tribes, without regard to the existence of a reservation or the location of members' residences. The bill designates Mono and Inyo counties in California as the Tribe's service area for benefit delivery. It explicitly reaffirms all existing rights and privileges of the Tribe and its members, and preserves any legal or equitable claims. Furthermore, the Tribe is granted hunting and fishing rights on all Federal lands within its aboriginal territory, with Federal agencies required to accommodate these rights within existing land use plans. To formalize recognition, the Tribe must submit a membership roll within 18 months, based on its constitution, and will be responsible for maintaining it. The Secretary of the Interior is directed to identify Bureau of Land Management land in Mono County, within the Tribe's ancestral homelands, to be taken into trust for the Tribe's benefit for governmental, economic, and housing purposes. The Tribe will also be considered under Federal jurisdiction in 1934 for future land acquisitions under the Indian Reorganization Act.
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Timeline
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Native Americans
Mono Lake Kootzaduka’a Tribe Recognition Act
USA119th CongressHR-5820| House
| Updated: 10/24/2025
This legislation grants Federal recognition to the Mono Lake Kootzaduka'a Tribe, ensuring that all Federal laws and regulations applicable to Indians and Indian tribes will now apply to the Tribe and its members. This recognition makes the Tribe and its members eligible for all services and benefits provided by the United States to federally recognized Indian Tribes, without regard to the existence of a reservation or the location of members' residences. The bill designates Mono and Inyo counties in California as the Tribe's service area for benefit delivery. It explicitly reaffirms all existing rights and privileges of the Tribe and its members, and preserves any legal or equitable claims. Furthermore, the Tribe is granted hunting and fishing rights on all Federal lands within its aboriginal territory, with Federal agencies required to accommodate these rights within existing land use plans. To formalize recognition, the Tribe must submit a membership roll within 18 months, based on its constitution, and will be responsible for maintaining it. The Secretary of the Interior is directed to identify Bureau of Land Management land in Mono County, within the Tribe's ancestral homelands, to be taken into trust for the Tribe's benefit for governmental, economic, and housing purposes. The Tribe will also be considered under Federal jurisdiction in 1934 for future land acquisitions under the Indian Reorganization Act.