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S. 241IntroducedSenate · nowHousePresidentLawIn committee
Sec. 112 · S. 241

Aaniiih Nakoda Settlement Trust Fund

Title I — Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025

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(a) Establishment The Secretary shall establish a trust fund for the Fort Belknap Indian Community, to be known as the Aaniiih Nakoda Settlement Trust Fund, to be managed, invested, and distributed by the Secretary and to remain available until expended, withdrawn, or reverted to the general fund of the Treasury, consisting of the amounts deposited in the Trust Fund under subsection (c), together with any investment earnings, including interest, earned on those amounts, for the purpose of carrying out this title. (b) Accounts The Secretary shall establish in the Trust Fund the following accounts: (1) The Fort Belknap Indian Community Tribal Irrigation and Other Water Resources Development Account. (2) The Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Resources and Water Rights Administration, Operation, and Maintenance Account. (3) The Fort Belknap Indian Community Clean and Safe Domestic Water and Sewer Systems, and Lake Elwell Project Account. (c) Deposits The Secretary shall deposit— (1) in the Fort Belknap Indian Community Tribal Irrigation and Other Water Resources Development Account established under subsection (b)(1), the amounts made available pursuant to paragraphs (1)(A) and (2)(A)(i) of section 114(a); (2) in the Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Resources and Water Rights Administration, Operation, and Maintenance Account established under subsection (b)(2), the amounts made available pursuant to section 114(a)(2)(A)(ii); and (3) in the Fort Belknap Indian Community Clean and Safe Domestic Water and Sewer Systems, and Lake Elwell Project Account established under subsection (b)(3), the amounts made available pursuant to paragraphs (1)(B) and (2)(A)(iii) of section 114(a). (d) Management and interest (1) Management On receipt and deposit of the funds into the accounts in the Trust Fund pursuant to subsection (c), the Secretary shall manage, invest, and distribute all amounts in the Trust Fund in accordance with the investment authority of the Secretary under— (A) the first section of the Act of June 24, 1938 (25 U.S.C. 162a); (B) the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 4001 et seq.); and (C) this section. (2) Investment earnings In addition to the amounts deposited under subsection (c), any investment earnings, including interest, credited to amounts held in the Trust Fund shall be available for use in accordance with subsections (e) and (g). (e) Availability of amounts (1) In general Amounts appropriated to, and deposited in, the Trust Fund, including any investment earnings, including interest, earned on those amounts shall be made available— (A) to the Fort Belknap Indian Community by the Secretary beginning on the enforceability date; and (B) subject to the uses and restrictions in this section. (2) Exceptions Notwithstanding paragraph (1)— (A) amounts deposited in the Fort Belknap Indian Community Tribal Irrigation and Other Water Resources Development Account established under subsection (b)(1) shall be available to the Fort Belknap Indian Community on the date on which the amounts are deposited for uses described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (g)(1); (B) amounts deposited in the Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Resources and Water Rights Administration, Operation, and Maintenance Account established under subsection (b)(2) shall be made available to the Fort Belknap Indian Community on the date on which the amounts are deposited and the Fort Belknap Indian Community has satisfied the requirements of section 111(f)(1), for the uses described in subsection (g)(2)(A); and (C) amounts deposited in the Fort Belknap Indian Community Clean and Safe Domestic Water and Sewer Systems, and Lake Elwell Project Account established under subsection (b)(3) shall be available to the Fort Belknap Indian Community on the date on which the amounts are deposited for the uses described in subsection (g)(3)(A). (f) Withdrawals (1) American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 (A) In general The Fort Belknap Indian Community may withdraw any portion of the funds in the Trust Fund on approval by the Secretary of a Tribal management plan submitted by the Fort Belknap Indian Community in accordance with the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 4001 et seq.). (B) Requirements In addition to the requirements under the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 4001 et seq.), the Tribal management plan under this paragraph shall require that the Fort Belknap Indian Community spend all amounts withdrawn from the Trust Fund, and any investment earnings accrued through the investments under the Tribal management plan, in accordance with this title. (C) Enforcement The Secretary may carry out such judicial and administrative actions as the Secretary determines to be necessary— (i) to enforce the Tribal management plan; and (ii) to ensure that amounts withdrawn from the Trust Fund by the Fort Belknap Indian Community under this paragraph are used in accordance with this title. (2) Withdrawals under expenditure plan (A) In general The Fort Belknap Indian Community may submit to the Secretary a request to withdraw funds from the Trust Fund pursuant to an approved expenditure plan. (B) Requirements To be eligible to withdraw funds under an expenditure plan under this paragraph, the Fort Belknap Indian Community shall submit to the Secretary for approval an expenditure plan for any portion of the Trust Fund that the Fort Belknap Indian Community elects to withdraw pursuant to this paragraph, subject to the condition that the funds shall be used for the purposes described in this title. (C) Inclusions An expenditure plan under this paragraph shall include a description of the manner and purpose for which the amounts proposed to be withdrawn from the Trust Fund will be used by the Fort Belknap Indian Community in accordance with subsections (e) and (g). (D) Approval On receipt of an expenditure plan under this paragraph, the Secretary shall approve the expenditure plan if the Secretary determines that the expenditure plan— (i) is reasonable; and (ii) is consistent with, and will be used for, the purposes of this title. (E) Enforcement The Secretary may carry out such judicial and administrative actions as the Secretary determines to be necessary to enforce an expenditure plan under this paragraph to ensure that amounts disbursed under this paragraph are used in accordance with this title. (g) Uses Amounts from the Trust Fund shall be used by the Fort Belknap Indian Community for the following purposes: (1) Fort Belknap Indian Community Tribal Irrigation and Other Water Resources Development Account Amounts in the Fort Belknap Indian Community Tribal Irrigation and Other Water Resources Development Account established under subsection (b)(1) shall be used to pay the cost of activities relating to— (A) planning, studies, and design of the Southern Tributary Irrigation Project and the Peoples Creek Irrigation Project, including the Upper Peoples Creek Dam and Reservoir, as generally described in the document of Natural Resources Consulting Engineers, Inc., entitled Fort Belknap Indian Community Comprehensive Water Development Plan and dated February 2019; (B) environmental compliance; (C) construction of the Southern Tributary Irrigation Project and the Peoples Creek Irrigation Project, including the Upper Peoples Creek Dam and Reservoir; (D) wetlands restoration and development; (E) stock watering infrastructure; and (F) on farm development support and reacquisition of fee lands within the Fort Belknap Indian Irrigation Project and Fort Belknap Indian Community irrigation projects within the Reservation. (2) Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Resources and Water Rights Administration, Operation, and Maintenance Account Amounts in the Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Resources and Water Rights Administration, Operation, and Maintenance Account established under subsection (b)(2), the principal and investment earnings, including interest, may only be used by the Fort Belknap Indian Community to pay the costs of activities described in subparagraphs (A) through (C) as follows: (A) $9,000,000 shall be used for the establishment, operation, and capital expenditures in connection with the administration of the Tribal water resources and water rights development, including the development or enactment of a Tribal water code. (B) Only investment earnings, including interest, on $29,299,059 shall be used and be available to pay the costs of activities for administration, operations, and regulation of the Tribal water resources and water rights department, in accordance with the Compact and this title. (C) Only investment earnings, including interest, on $28,331,693 shall be used and be available to pay the costs of activities relating to a portion of the annual assessment costs for the Fort Belknap Indian Community and Tribal members, including allottees, under the Fort Belknap Indian Irrigation Project and Fort Belknap Indian Community irrigation projects within the Reservation. (3) Fort Belknap Indian Community Clean and Safe Domestic Water and Sewer Systems, and Lake Elwell Project Account Amounts in the Fort Belknap Indian Community Clean and Safe Domestic Water and Sewer Systems, and Lake Elwell Project Account established under subsection (b)(3), the principal and investment earnings, including interest, may only be used by the Fort Belknap Indian Community to pay the costs of activities relating to— (A) planning, studies, design, and environmental compliance of domestic water supply, and sewer collection and treatment systems, as generally described in the document of Natural Resources Consulting Engineers, Inc., entitled Fort Belknap Indian Community Comprehensive Water Development Plan and dated February 2019, including the Lake Elwell Project water delivery to the southern part of the Reservation; (B) construction of domestic water supply, sewer collection, and treatment systems; (C) construction, in accordance with applicable law, of infrastructure for delivery of Lake Elwell water diverted from the Missouri River to the southern part of the Reservation; and (D) planning, studies, design, environmental compliance, and construction of a Tribal wellness center for a work force health and well-being project. (h) Liability The Secretary shall not be liable for any expenditure or investment of amounts withdrawn from the Trust Fund by the Fort Belknap Indian Community pursuant to subsection (f). (i) Project efficiencies If the total cost of the activities described in subsection (g) results in cost savings and is less than the amounts authorized to be obligated under any of paragraphs (1) through (3) of that subsection required to carry out those activities, the Secretary, at the request of the Fort Belknap Indian Community, shall deposit those savings in the Trust Fund to be used in accordance with that subsection. (j) Annual report The Fort Belknap Indian Community shall submit to the Secretary an annual expenditure report describing accomplishments and amounts spent from use of withdrawals under a Tribal management plan or an expenditure plan described in this section. (k) No per capita payments No principal or interest amount in any account established by this section shall be distributed to any member of the Fort Belknap Indian Community on a per capita basis. (l) Effect Nothing in this title entitles the Fort Belknap Indian Community to judicial review of a determination of the Secretary regarding whether to approve a Tribal management plan under subsection (f)(1) or an expenditure plan under subsection (f)(2), except as provided under subchapter II of chapter 5, and chapter 7, of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the Administrative Procedure Act).

Sec. 112: Aaniiih Nakoda Settlement Trust Fund · Public Law Tracker