Notice2026-04582

Notice of Deadline for Submitting Completed Requests To Begin Participation in the Tribal Self-Governance Program in Fiscal Year 2027 or Calendar Year 2027

Primary source

Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.

Published
March 9, 2026

Issuing agencies

Interior DepartmentIndian Affairs Bureau

Abstract

In this notice, the Office of Self-Governance (OSG) establishes deadlines for Indian Tribes/Consortia to submit completed requests to begin participation in the Tribal self-governance program in fiscal year 2027 or calendar year 2027.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 45 (Monday, March 9, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 45 (Monday, March 9, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 11335]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04582]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[267A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.000000]


Notice of Deadline for Submitting Completed Requests To Begin 
Participation in the Tribal Self-Governance Program in Fiscal Year 2027 
or Calendar Year 2027

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of deadline for request to participate.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, the Office of Self-Governance (OSG) 
establishes deadlines for Indian Tribes/Consortia to submit completed 
requests to begin participation in the Tribal self-governance program 
in fiscal year 2027 or calendar year 2027.

DATES: Completed fiscal year requests to participation must be received 
by April 4, 2026, and completed calendar year applications must be 
received by July 5, 2026. For a Tribe not presently participating in 
self-governance to be selected, the Tribe/Consortium may submit a 
request to the Director at any time, but no later than 180 days before 
the proposed effective date of the funding agreement (e.g., October 1, 
January 1, or such other date as the parties agree).

ADDRESSES: Requests from a Tribe/Consortium for participation in self-
governance should be sent to Jason Bruno, Director, Office of Self-
Governance, Department of the Interior, Mail Stop 4146-MIB, 1849 C 
Street NW, Washington, DC 20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vickie Hanvey, Office of Self 
Governance, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b6e0dfd5dddfd398fed7d8c0d3cff6d4dfd798d1d9c0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c197a8a2aaa8a4ef89a0afb7a4b881a3a8a0efa6aeb7">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>; (918) 931-0745. Individuals in the 
United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a 
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Tribal Self-Governance Act of 1994 
(Pub. L. 103-413), as amended by the Practical Reforms and Other Goals 
to Reinforce the Effectiveness of Self-Governance and Self-
Determination Act (PROGRESS Act) and 25 U.S.C. 5362(c) of the PROGRESS 
Act, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office of Self-
Governance, may select not more than 50 new Indian Tribes per year from 
those eligible tribes. The requests for participation deadline listed 
in the DATES section is predicated upon providing the parties enough 
time to complete funding agreement negotiations in advance of the FY or 
CY start date of the 2027 funding agreement. The PROGRESS Act mandates 
that copies of the funding agreements be sent at least 90 days before 
the proposed effective date to each Tribe that is served by the Bureau 
of Indian Affairs' agency that is serving the Tribe that is a party to 
the funding agreement. Initial negotiations with a Tribe/Consortium 
located in a region and/or agency which has not previously been 
involved with self-governance negotiations will take approximately 2 
months from start to finish. Agreements for an October 1 to September 
30 funding year need to be signed and submitted by July 3. Agreements 
for a January 1 to December 31 need to be signed and submitted by 
October 3.

Purpose of Notice

    To be eligible to participate in self-governance under 25 U.S.C. 
5362(c), an Indian Tribe shall:
    (1) successfully complete the planning phase described in 
subsection (d);
    (2) request participation in self-governance by resolution or other 
official action by the Tribal governing body; and
    (3) demonstrate for the 3 fiscal years preceding the date on which 
the Tribe requests participation, fiscal stability and financial 
management capability as evidenced by the Indian Tribe having no 
uncorrected significant and internal audit exceptions in the required 
annual audit of its self-determination or self-governance agreements 
with any Federal agency.
    An Indian Tribe seeking to begin participation in self-governance 
shall complete the planning phase. The planning phase shall:
    (A) be conducted to the satisfaction of the Indian Tribe; and
    (B) include:
    (i) legal and budgetary research; and
    (ii) internal Tribal governing planning, training, and 
organizational preparation.
    The regulations at 25 CFR 1000.115 to 1000.200 will be used to 
govern the request and selection process for Tribes/Consortia to begin 
their participation in the Tribal self-governance program in fiscal 
year 2027 and calendar year 2027. Tribes/Consortia submitting requests 
to participate should be guided by the referenced requirements when 
preparing their requests to begin participation in the Tribal self-
governance program. Copies of these requirements may be obtained from 
the information contact person identified in this notice.
    Tribes/Consortia wishing to be considered for participation in the 
Tribal self-governance program in fiscal year 2027 or calendar year 
2027 must respond to this notice, except for those tribes/consortia 
which are: (1) currently involved in negotiations with the Department; 
or (2) one of the 145 Tribal entities with signed self-governance 
agreements.

Information Collection

    This information collection is authorized by OMB Control Number 
1076-0143, Tribal Self-Governance Program, which expires December 31, 
2028.

William Henry Kirkland III,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2026-04582 Filed 3-6-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337-15-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on March 9, 2026.

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.