Defense Community Infrastructure Program Tribal Eligibility Act of 2026
Summary
What This Bill Does
The DCIP Tribal Eligibility Act amends the Defense Community Infrastructure Program so an Indian Tribe can participate as an eligible public entity. It adds Tribes wherever the program identifies public entities that may propose, own, or help carry out community infrastructure projects supporting military installations.
The bill also adds Tribes to provisions governing agreements with eligible entities and contributions toward project costs. It defines Indian Tribe by reference to section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, which covers federally recognized Tribal governments and related qualifying entities under that statute.
The change opens the program's application and partnership structure to Tribes; it does not appropriate new money, guarantee an award, waive project-selection criteria, remove cost-sharing conditions, or displace the requirement that a project enhance military value, installation resilience, or quality of life for service members and their families. Tribal projects would compete within the program and remain subject to Defense Department review.
Who Benefits and How
Tribal governments near military installations gain direct eligibility to propose infrastructure projects and enter program agreements. Service members, military families, and Tribal residents may benefit from improved roads, utilities, schools, emergency services, or other shared infrastructure. Tribal infrastructure departments and contractors gain access to another federal project channel, while installations can coordinate with neighboring Tribal communities as formal partners.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Defense Department grant staff must update guidance, outreach, application systems, and review practices. Tribal governments must prepare applications, document military relevance, meet federal grant requirements, and supply any required contribution. States and local governments may face more competition within a fixed appropriation. Federal accounts bear costs only if a Tribal project is selected, and award administrators must address Tribal authority, land status, procurement, and intergovernmental coordination.
Key Provisions
- Adds Indian Tribes to eligible public entities under the program.
- Allows Tribal governments to propose defense-community infrastructure projects.
- Adds Tribes to project-agreement provisions.
- Adds Tribes to cost-sharing and contribution provisions.
- Uses the existing federal statutory definition of Indian Tribe.
- Preserves Defense Department project review.
- Preserves military-value and quality-of-life criteria.
- Requires Tribal applicants to satisfy existing program conditions.
- Provides no automatic grant or project approval.
- Provides no new appropriation or separate Tribal funding pool.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Makes federally recognized Indian Tribes eligible public entities and partners under the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, including for project applications and cost-sharing arrangements, while preserving the program's existing selection and national-security requirements.
Key Policy Areas
Defense Community Infrastructure, Tribal Governments, Military Installations, Federal Grants, Cost Sharing
Primary Purpose
Makes federally recognized Indian Tribes eligible public entities and partners under the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, including for project applications and cost-sharing arrangements, while preserving the program's existing selection and national-security requirements.
Policy Domains
Section 2 Tribal eligibility, agreements, cost sharing, and definition
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Tribal governments near military installations
- Tribal infrastructure departments
- Service members using community infrastructure
- Military families living near Tribal communities
- Military installations seeking resilient infrastructure
- Tribal residents using funded public facilities
- Contractors performing selected Tribal projects
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Department of Defense grant administrators
- Tribal applicants meeting federal grant conditions
- Tribal governments providing required cost shares
- State applicants competing for fixed program funds
- Local governments competing for fixed program funds
- Federal accounts funding selected projects
- Award officials resolving land and jurisdiction issues
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Introduced in House
Ms. Randall (for herself and Mr. Wittman) introduced the following …
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "competitor"
- → State or local public entity competing for program funds
- "installation"
- → Military installation supported by a proposed community project
- "administrator"
- → Department of Defense official administering the infrastructure program
- "service_member"
- → Service member or military family using nearby infrastructure
- "tribal_applicant"
- → Federally recognized Tribal government applying for a defense-community infrastructure project
Note: {'scope_ids': ['dcip_tribal_eligibility'], 'description': 'The bill creates eligibility and partnership authority, not an entitlement to funding; Tribal proposals remain subject to existing selection, military-purpose, agreement, cost-sharing, and appropriations constraints.'}
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A qualifying Tribal entity under section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act.
A governmental applicant or partner authorized to participate in the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, expanded by the bill to include Indian Tribes.
A selected community infrastructure project that supports military value, installation resilience, or service-member and family quality of life under existing program rules.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology