103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4228

AN ACT

To extend Federal recognition to the United Auburn Indian

Community of the Auburn Rancheria of California.

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 ‘‘Auburn Indian Res5 toration Act’’.
2

•HR 4228 EH

1 SEC. 2. RESTORATION OF FEDERAL RECOGNITION, RIGHTS,

2 AND PRIVILEGES.

3 (a) FEDERAL RECOGNITION.—Notwithstanding any

4 other provision of law, Federal recognition is hereby ex5 tended to the Tribe. Except as otherwise provided in this

6 Act, all laws and regulations of general application to Indi7 ans or nations, tribes, or bands of Indians that are not

8 inconsistent with any specific provision of this Act shall

9 be applicable to the Tribe and its members.

10 (b) RESTORATION OF RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES.—

11 Except as provided in subsection (d), all rights and privi12 leges of the Tribe and its members under any Federal

13 treaty, Executive order, agreement, or statute, or under

14 any other authority which were diminished or lost under

15 the Act of August 18, 1958 (Public Law 85–671), are

16 hereby restored and the provisions of such Act shall be

17 inapplicable to the Tribe and its members after the date

18 of enactment of this Act.

19 (c) FEDERAL SERVICES AND BENEFITS.—Notwith20 standing any other provision of law and without regard

21 to the existence of a reservation, the Tribe and its mem22 bers shall be eligible, on and after the date of enactment

23 of this Act, for all Federal services and benefits furnished

24 to federally recognized Indian tribes or their members. In

25 the case of Federal services available to members of feder26 ally recognized Indian tribes residing on a reservation,
3

•HR 4228 EH

1 members of the Tribe residing in the Tribe’s service area

2 shall be deemed to be residing on a reservation.

3 (d) HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, AND WATER

4 RIGHTS.—Nothing in this Act shall expand, reduce, or af5 fect in any manner any hunting, fishing, trapping, gather6 ing, or water right of the Tribe and its members.

7 (e) INDIAN REORGANIZATION ACT APPLICABILITY.—

8 The Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.), shall

9 be applicable to the Tribe and its members.

10 (f) CERTAIN RIGHTS NOT ALTERED.—Except as spe11 cifically provided in this Act, nothing in this Act shall alter

12 any property right or obligation, any contractual right or

13 obligation, or any obligation for taxes levied.

14 SEC. 3. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

15 (a) PLAN FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.—The Sec16 retary shall—

17 (1) enter into negotiations with the governing

18 body of the Tribe with respect to establishing a plan

19 for economic development for the Tribe;

20 (2) in accordance with this section and not later

21 than 2 years after the adoption of a tribal constitu22 tion as provided in section 7, develop such a plan;

23 and
4

•HR 4228 EH

1 (3) upon the approval of such plan by the gov2 erning body of the Tribe, submit such plan to the

3 Congress.

4 (b) RESTRICTIONS.—Any proposed transfer of real

5 property contained in the plan developed by the Secretary

6 under subsection (a) shall be consistent with the require7 ments of section 4.

8 SEC. 4. TRANSFER OF LAND TO BE HELD IN TRUST.

9 (a) LANDS TO BE TAKEN IN TRUST.—The Secretary

10 shall accept any real property located in Placer County,

11 California, for the benefit of the Tribe if conveyed or oth12 erwise transferred to the Secretary if, at the time of such

13 conveyance or transfer, there are no adverse legal claims

14 on such property, including outstanding liens, mortgages,

15 or taxes owed. The Secretary may accept any additional

16 acreage in the Tribe’s service area pursuant to the author17 ity of the Secretary under the Act of June 18, 1934 (25

18 U.S.C. 461 et seq.).

19 (b) FORMER TRUST LANDS OF THE AUBURN

20 RANCHERIA.—Subject to the conditions specified in this

21 section, real property eligible for trust status under this

22 section shall include fee land held by the White Oak Ridge

23 Association, Indian owned fee land held communally pur24 suant to the distribution plan prepared and approved by

25 the Bureau of Indian Affairs on August 13, 1959, and
5

•HR 4228 EH

1 Indian owned fee land held by persons listed as

2 distributees or dependent members in such distribution

3 plan or such distributees’ or dependent members’ Indian

4 heirs or successors in interest.

5 (c) LANDS TO BE PART OF THE RESERVATION.—

6 Subject to the conditions imposed by this section, any real

7 property conveyed or transferred under this section shall

8 be taken in the name of the United States in trust for

9 the Tribe or, as applicable, an individual member of the

10 Tribe, and shall be part of the Tribe’s reservation.

11 SEC. 5. MEMBERSHIP ROLLS.

12 (a) COMPILATION OF TRIBAL MEMBERSHIP ROLL.—

13 Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act,

14 the Secretary shall, after consultation with the Tribe, com15 pile a membership roll of the Tribe.

16 (b) CRITERIA FOR ENROLLMENTS.—(1) Until a trib17 al constitution is adopted pursuant to section 7, an indi18 vidual shall be placed on the membership roll if the indi19 vidual is living, is not an enrolled member of another fed20 erally recognized Indian tribe, is of United Auburn Indian

21 Community ancestry, possesses at least one-eighth or

22 more of Indian blood quantum, and if—

23 (A) the individual’s name was listed on the Au24 burn Indian Rancheria distribution roll compiled and
6

•HR 4228 EH

1 approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on August

2 13, 1959, pursuant to Public Law 85–671;

3 (B) the individual was not listed on, but met

4 the requirements that had to be met to be listed on,

5 the Auburn Indian Rancheria distribution list com6 piled and approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs

7 on August 13, 1959, pursuant to Public Law 85–

8 671; or

9 (C) the individual is a lineal descendant of an

10 individual, living or dead, identified in subparagraph

11 (A) or (B).

12 (2) After adoption of a tribal constitution pursuant

13 to section 7, such tribal constitution shall govern member14 ship in the Tribe, except that in addition to meeting any

15 other criteria imposed in such tribal constitution, any per16 son added to the membership roll shall be of United Au17 burn Indian Community ancestry and shall not be an en18 rolled member of another federally recognized Indian

19 tribe.

20 (c) CONCLUSIVE PROOF OF UNITED AUBURN INDIAN

21 COMMUNITY ANCESTRY.—For the purpose of subsection

22 (b), the Secretary shall accept any available evidence es23 tablishing United Auburn Indian Community ancestry.

24 The Secretary shall accept as conclusive evidence of Unit25 ed Auburn Indian Community ancestry information con-
7

•HR 4228 EH

1 tained in the Auburn Indian Rancheria distribution list

2 compiled by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on August 13,

3 1959.

4 SEC. 6. INTERIM GOVERNMENT.

5 Until a new tribal constitution and bylaws are adopt6 ed and become effective under section 7, the Tribe’s gov7 erning body shall be an Interim Council. The initial mem8 bership of the Interim Council shall consist of the mem9 bers of the Executive Council of the Tribe on the date

10 of the enactment of this Act, and the Interim Council shall

11 continue to operate in the manner prescribed for the Exec12 utive Council under the tribal constitution adopted July

13 20, 1991, as long as such constitution is not contrary to

14 Federal law. Any new members filling vacancies on the

15 Interim council shall meet the enrollment criteria set forth

16 in section 5(b) and be elected in the same manner as are

17 Executive Council members under the tribal constitution

18 adopted July 20, 1991.

19 SEC. 7. TRIBAL CONSTITUTION.

20 (a) ELECTION; TIME AND PROCEDURE.—Upon the

21 completion of the tribal membership roll under section

22 5(a) and upon the written request of the Interim Council,

23 the Secretary shall conduct, by secret ballot, an election

24 for the purpose of adopting a constitution and bylaws for

25 the Tribe. The election shall be held according to section
8

•HR 4228 EH

1 16 of the Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 476), except

2 that absentee balloting shall be permitted regardless of

3 voter residence.

4 (b) ELECTION OF TRIBAL OFFICIALS; PROCE5 DURES.—Not later than 120 days after the Tribe adopts

6 a constitution and bylaws under subsection (a), the Sec7 retary shall conduct an election by secret ballot for the

8 purpose of electing tribal officials as provided in such trib9 al constitution. Such election shall be conducted according

10 to the procedures specified in subsection (a) except to the

11 extent that such procedures conflict with the tribal con12 stitution.

13 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

14 For purposes of this Act:

15 (1) The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the United Au16 burn Indian Community of the Auburn Rancheria of

17 California.

18 (2) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary

19 of the Interior.

20 (3) The term ‘‘Interim Council’’ means the gov21 erning body of the Tribe specified in section 6.

22 (4) The term ‘‘member’’ means those persons

23 meeting the enrollment criteria under section 5(b).

24 (5) The term ‘‘State’’ means the State of Cali25 fornia.
9

•HR 4228 EH

1 (6) The term ‘‘reservation’’ means those lands

2 acquired and held in trust by the Secretary for the

3 benefit of the Tribe pursuant to section 4.

4 (7) The term ‘‘service area’’ means the counties

5 of Placer, Nevada, Yuba, Sutter, El Dorado, and

6 Sacramento, in the State of California.

7 SEC. 9. REGULATIONS.

8 The Secretary may promulgate such regulations as

9 may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.

Passed the House of Representatives July 25, 1994.

Attest:

Clerk.
103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4228

AN ACT

To extend Federal recognition to the United AuRancheria of California. burn Indian Community of the Auburn