STUDY OF HOME LOANS TO NATIVE-AMERICAN VETERANS.

SEC. 312. STUDY OF HOME LOANS TO NATIVE-AMERICAN VETERANS. (a) In General.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of the Interior shall jointly conduct a study to determine the following: (1) The extent to which veterans who are Native Americans living on Native-American trust lands participate in the Department of Veterans Affairs home loan guaranty program under chapter 37 of title 38, United States Code. (2) The level of participation of such veterans in such program, whether such participation is lower than the level of participation of all veterans and, if so, the reasons for the lower level of participation, including any reasons relating to the structure of the home loan guaranty program, the secondary mortgage market, the willingness of lenders to make home loans on trust land, cultural factors, and attitudinal factors. (3) The legislative, regulatory, and administrative actions necessary, if any, to improve the access of the veterans referred to in paragraph (1) to benefits under chapter 37 of title 38, United States Code. (4) Whether it would be desirable, feasible, and equitable to utilize the direct home loan authority under section 1811 of title 38, United States Code, to promote increased home ownership among such veterans. (b) Considerations.—In conducting the study, the Secretaries shall consider— (1) the concerns and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Native-American Veterans contained in the reports submitted by that committee pursuant to section 19032(f) of the Veterans’ Health-Care Amendments of 1986 (title XIX of Public Law 99–272; 100 Stat. 388); (2) the experience of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development in developing and carrying out programs designed to meet the home financing needs of Native Americans; and (3) any experience of private-sector lending institutions in making loans on trust land. (c) Report.—Not later than June 1, 1990, the Secretaries shall transmit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the results of the study conducted under subsection (a). (d) Definitions.—For the purposes of this section— (1) the term “Native-American trust land” means any land that— (A) is held in trust by the United States for Native Americans; 103 STAT. 2077 (B) is subject to restrictions on alienation imposed by the United States on Indian lands; (C) is owned by a Regional Corporation or a village corporation, as such terms are defined in section 3(b) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602(b)); or (D) is on any island in the Pacific Ocean if such land is, by cultural tradition, communally-owned land, as determined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and (2) the term “Native American” means— (A) an Indian, as defined in section 4(d) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(d)); (B) a Native Hawaiian, as defined in section 8 of the Native Hawaiian Health Care Act of 1988 (Public Law 100–579; 102 Stat. 2921); (C) an Alaska Native, within the meaning provided for the term “Native” in section 3(b) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602(b)); and (D) a Pacific Islander, within the meaning of the Native American Programs Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 2991 et seq.).