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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Instead of the traditional waiting period of 24-48 hours to secure title, prospective Native American homeowners seeking to own homes on tribal lands often wait 6 months to several years to obtain land title through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). As a result, lenders cannot make loans in a timely manner effectively dashing the dreams of homeownership, stated Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), the House Financial Services Committee Ranking Democratic Member, and Congressman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), the House Resources Committee Ranking Democratic Member.
Today's joint hearing will focus on the administrative problems Native Americans face when seeking homeownership on lands held in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Approximately 56.2 million acres of tribal lands are held in trust by the Federal government. The BIA’s bureaucracy makes the approval process for would-be homeowners to secure title on these lands cumbersome and lengthy. In the end, Native American would-be homeowners lose.
"I want the American dream of home ownership to also be known to as the Native American dream," said Frank. "There is simply no excuse why we cannot provide title to Native Americans who live on Indian and Tribal lands in a timely manner. For the bureaucracy to stand in the way of someone owning a home in this country is ridiculous and we need to fix it."
Rahall stated, "Our first citizens should be first in line for the opportunity to achieve the American dream of owning a home. Instead, under the archaic and inefficient procedures by which the Bureau of Indian Affairs processes land titles, Indian Country is left on the sidelines to watch as this dream often passes them by. The programs are in place and Congress has provided the federal funding - - it is outrageous that Indian land titles can take several years to process."
Because of the BIA bureaucracy and the length of time it takes to process claims, programs designed to help Native American homeownership are currently underutilized.
Last year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development returned $33 million year that had been appropriated to encourage greater Native American homeownership. The $33 million returned to the government would have guaranteed hundreds of millions in mortgage loans in Indian Country.
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![[New for the Democrats - Committee on Resources - U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, Ranking Democrat - 1329 Longworth HOB - Washington, DC 20015]](news_banner.gif)
