S. 3358: Native American Seeds Act of 2025

This bill, titled the Native American Seeds Act of 2025, aims to assist Indian Tribes in protecting and preserving Native American seeds, which hold traditional and cultural significance. The main objectives of the bill are as follows:

Definitions

• Indian Tribe: This term refers to any recognized Indian Tribe, as defined in existing federal law.
• Native American Seed: This refers to seeds that have traditional or cultural importance to a specific Indian Tribe.
• Secretary: This term denotes the Secretary of the Interior, the federal official responsible for dealing with matters concerning Indigenous affairs.

Protection of Native American Seeds

The bill mandates that within one year of its enactment, the Secretary of the Interior must collaborate with Indian Tribes to:

• Identify which seeds are classified as Native American seeds.
• Support initiatives by Indian Tribes to:
• Protect Native American seeds.
• Establish and maintain Native American seed banks and related facilities.
• Promote traditional agricultural systems within Indian Tribes that nurture and harvest Native American seeds.

Protection of Information

The Secretary is required to keep confidential any information provided by an Indian Tribe that is identified as culturally sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential. This provision ensures the privacy of sensitive information shared for the purposes of seed protection.

No Additional Funding

The bill states that no extra funds will be allocated to implement its provisions. All activities must rely on existing appropriated funds available beforehand.

Judicial Review

This section affirms that courts will defer to the Secretary’s reasonable interpretation of any ambiguous provisions of the Act when reviewing it legally.

Relevant Companies

• None found