Sets forth operating and documented petitioning procedures, including an opportunity for Indian groups denied recognition to a hearing under specified circumstances. Requires documented petitions to contain detailed, specific evidence, including: (1) statements of facts establishing that the petitioner has been identified as an American Indian entity on a substantially continuous basis since 1871, that a predominant portion of the petitioner's membership comprises a community distinct from those communities surrounding it and has existed as a community from historical times to the present, and that and the petitioner has maintained political influence or authority over its members as an autonomous entity from historical times until the time of the petition; (2) a copy of the petitioner's governing document or description of the petitioner's membership criteria and the petitioner's governing procedures; and (3) a list of the petitioner's current members, a copy of each available former list of members based on the petitioner's defined criteria, and a description of the methods used in preparing those lists.
Requires the Commission to publish an annual list of recognized Indian tribes.
Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award petition assistance grants.