S. 249 would authorize the Pueblo of Santa Clara and the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo to lease tribal lands for up to 99 years. In general, under current law, the tribes can lease tribal lands to schools, businesses, and public entities for up to 25 years.
CBO estimates that implementing S. 249 would have no effect on the federal budget because any additional proceeds from such leases would accrue to the owners of the land. Enacting S. 249 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 249 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
S. 249 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. The Pueblo of Santa Clara and the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo would benefit from provisions in the legislation that allow the tribes to lease land for up to 99 years, regardless of the trust status of the land.
On February 17, 2017, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 249, a bill to provide that the Pueblo of Santa Clara may lease for 99 years certain restricted land, and for other purposes, as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on February 8, 2017. The two versions of the legislation are similar and CBO’s estimates of their budgetary effects are the same.