Recent Supreme Court decisions are concerning Tribal Nations and those who work in Indian Law. Most notably, Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta 1 has major implications on the legal relationship between Tribes, states, and the federal government. The potential negative impact from these decisions can change Tribal sovereignty as it is commonly understood. One solution is to increase efforts to provide more education and data on Indian Country to ensure that there are accurate representations of Tribal communities and Tribal sovereignty.
Federal and state data collection efforts are flawed and inaccurate when it comes to Tribal communities; moreover, they omit them entirely. This was proven true for healthcare data during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, true for law enforcement data needed to address the MMIP crisis, and also true for broadband connectivity data. Accurate data is crucial to identifying and solving the needs of Tribal communities.
On November 9, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will hear the alarming case, Haaland v. Brackeen. The questions of the case are (1) whether the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) interferes with a State’s power over adoptions and foster care and (2) whether the ICWA unfairly limits adoptions by parents who are not members of the Native child’s tribe.
Explainer
Explainer: Annual Appropriations Process for the Executive Branch Budget
June 25, 2025 / Morgan Gray
The federal budget consists of both mandatory and discretionary spending. Mandatory spending, such as the annual costs of programs like Social…
Explainer
Explainer: Competing House and Senate Wireless Spectrum Provisions in the Budget Act Could Affect Tribal Broadband Access
June 25, 2025 / Morgan Gray, Sr. Policy Analyst & Dr. Traci Morris, Executive Director
Congress is actively working to finalize this year’s federal budget bill, referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the Act). The Act reflects…
Call to Action
Call to action: Additional Tribal consultations announced on EO 14191 ‘Expanding educational freedom’
June 19, 2025 / Brooke Curleyhair
In response to strong engagement during initial consultations earlier this year, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education has…
Quarterly Legislative Updates
AIPI tracks bills affecting Indian Country as a whole or several Tribal Nations in a given region. These bills include changes to laws, regulations, and significant appropriations to new and existing Tribal initiatives.
For a summary, review the Legislative Updates, available by year, via a drop-down menu.
To drill down into the data informing the Legislative Updates, search the dashboard below.
Published Solutions
Quarterly Legislative Update
Q3 2024 Legislative Update
This is the third edition of our new quarterly policy update format, the information in our monthly update covers several government websites and databases. AIPI's policy…
Quarterly Legislative Update
Q2 2024 Legislative Update
This edition covers information available through federal and state government websites from 4/1/24 through 6/30/24. In Q2, AIPI reviewed 224 bills in Congress and 248…
Explainer
The Journey of American Indian Education: A Five-Year Review of American Indian Education Laws, Policies and Initiatives
In addition to showcasing the shared commitment to Indian education through the CIE-AIPI collaboration, this document aims to establish a foundational overview for content…
Quarterly Legislative Update
Q4 2023 Legislative Update
This is the fourth edition of our new quarterly policy update format, the information in our monthly update covers several government websites and databases. AIPI's policy…
Quarterly Legislative Update
Q3 2023 Legislative Update
This edition covers information made available through federal and state government websites from 6/30/23 through 9/29/23. AIPI reviewed 72 bills in Congress as well as 187…
Explainer
Policy Explainer: Supreme Court Term 2022: Highly Consequential For Principles Of Tribal Sovereignty
AIPI policy explainers present our expert understanding of key and current Indigenous rights issues by distilling expansive and complex policy information into clear and…
Congressional Report Cards
AIPI tracks bills affecting Indian Country as a whole or several Tribal Nations in a given region. These bills include changes to laws, regulations, and significant appropriations to new and existing Tribal initiatives. Generally, AIPI does not track bills that make specific changes for individual Tribes, such as bills placing land into trust.
Archives
Ongoing analysis on bills that affect Indian Country as introduced and considered in the U.S. Congress and the Arizona State Legislature.
- 117th Congressional Report Card Second Session
- November 2022
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- 117th Congressional Report Summary First Session
- November 2021
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- 116th Congressional Report Card Second Session
- January 2021
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- 116th Congressional Report Card First Session
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- 115th Congressional Report Card
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On April 24, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin a virtually held five-day consultation series focusing on agricultural themes and topics that are critical in advancing equity and support for Tribal communities. Tribal affiliates such as Tribal organizations, citizens and staff are able to attend. Elected Tribal leaders and authorized proxy representatives are welcome to speak.
We have successfully completed the Spring 2023 cohort of the Indigenous Leadership Academy (ILA)! Stay tuned for an upcoming blog about ILA at RES 2023! Follow along with AIPI for upcoming blogs, posts and everything else ILA.
Tribal Nations have long advocated for their sovereign interests in natural resources like land and water. Tribes have also advocated for their sovereign interest in the air space above Tribal lands.
On March 2, 2023, the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) published a request for written comments on upcoming digital equity program grants. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) created several programs to improve broadband connectivity across the country.
February was a productive month at AIPI with events, multiple training’s, and representation at external events. As you can see, we participated in several events related to digital equity, digital inclusion, and digital sovereignty, with Dr. Morris and EJ John, both imparting different sets of expertise in the space at different events.