II 

Calendar No. 38 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 50 

[Report No. 116–7] 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to assess sanitation and safety 

conditions at Bureau of Indian Affairs facilities that were constructed 

to provide affected Columbia River Treaty tribes access to traditional 

fishing grounds and expend funds on construction of facilities and structures to improve those conditions, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 8, 2019 

Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. WYDEN, and Ms. CANTWELL) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Indian Affairs 

MARCH 13, 2019 

Reported by Mr. HOEVEN, without amendment 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to assess sanitation and safety conditions at Bureau of Indian Affairs 

facilities that were constructed to provide affected Columbia River Treaty tribes access to traditional fishing 

grounds and expend funds on construction of facilities 

and structures to improve those conditions, and for other 

purposes. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
2 

•S 50 RS

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Columbia River In5 Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SANITATION AND SAFETY CONDITIONS AT CERTAIN 

7 BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS FACILITIES. 

8 (a) ASSESSMENT OF CONDITIONS.—The Secretary of 

9 the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

10 in consultation with the affected Columbia River Treaty 

11 tribes, may assess current sanitation and safety conditions 

12 on lands held by the United States for the benefit of the 

13 affected Columbia River Treaty tribes, including all per14 manent Federal structures and improvements on those 

15 lands, that were set aside to provide affected Columbia 

16 River Treaty tribes access to traditional fishing grounds— 

17 (1) in accordance with the Act of March 2, 

18 1945 (59 Stat. 10, chapter 19) (commonly known as 

19 the ‘‘River and Harbor Act of 1945’’); or 

20 (2) in accordance with title IV of Public Law 

21 100–581 (102 Stat. 2944). 

22 (b) EXCLUSIVE AUTHORIZATION; CONTRACTS.—The 

23 Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of 

24 Indian Affairs— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
3 

•S 50 RS

1 (1) subject to paragraph (2)(B), shall be the 

2 only Federal agency authorized to carry out the ac3 tivities described in this section; and 

4 (2) may delegate the authority to carry out ac5 tivities described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of sub6 section (d)— 

7 (A) through one or more contracts entered 

8 into with an Indian Tribe or Tribal organiza9 tion under the Indian Self-Determination and 

10 Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et 

11 seq.); or 

12 (B) to include other Federal agencies that 

13 have relevant expertise. 

14 (c) DEFINITION OF AFFECTED COLUMBIA RIVER

15 TREATY TRIBES.—In this section, the term ‘‘affected Co16 lumbia River Treaty tribes’’ means the Nez Perce Tribe, 

17 the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation, 

18 the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation 

19 of Oregon, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the 

20 Yakama Nation. 

21 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

22 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the 

23 Interior such sums as are necessary, to remain available 

24 until expended— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
4 

•S 50 RS

1 (1) for improvements to existing structures and 

2 infrastructure to improve sanitation and safety con3 ditions assessed under subsection (a); and 

4 (2) to improve access to electricity, sewer, and 

5 water infrastructure, where feasible, to reflect needs 

6 for sanitary and safe use of facilities referred to in 

7 subsection (a). 

8 SEC. 3. STUDY OF ASSESSMENT AND IMPROVEMENT AC9 TIVITIES. 

10 The Comptroller General of the United States, in 

11 consultation with the Committee on Indian Affairs of the 

12 Senate, shall— 

13 (1) conduct a study to evaluate whether the 

14 sanitation and safety conditions on lands held by the 

15 United States for the benefit of the affected Colum16 bia River Treaty tribes (as defined in section 2(c)) 

17 have improved as a result of the activities authorized 

18 in section 2; and 

19 (2) prepare and submit to the Committee on 

20 Indian Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 

21 Natural Resources of the House of Representatives 

22 a report containing the results of that study. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
Calendar No. 38 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 50 

[Report No. 116–7] 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to assess 

poses. to improve those conditions, and for other purfunds on construction of facilities and structures cess to traditional fishing grounds and expend provide affected Columbia River Treaty tribes acdian Affairs facilities that were constructed to sanitation and safety conditions at Bureau of InMARCH 13, 2019 

Reported without amendment 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS