II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 371 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to take certain land located in Pinal 

County, Arizona, into trust for the benefit of the Gila River Indian 

Community, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 23, 2021 

Mr. KELLY (for himself and Ms. SINEMA) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to take certain land 

located in Pinal County, Arizona, into trust for the benefit of the Gila River Indian Community, and for other 

purposes. 

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 ‘‘Blackwater Trading 

5 Post Land Transfer Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


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•S 371 IS

1 (1) BLACKWATER TRADING POST LAND.—The 

2 term ‘‘Blackwater Trading Post Land’’ means the 

3 approximately 55.3 acres of land as depicted on the 

4 map that— 

5 (A) is located in Pinal County, Arizona, 

6 and bordered by Community land to the east, 

7 west, and north and State Highway 87 to the 

8 south; and 

9 (B) is owned by the Community. 

10 (2) COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘Community’’ 

11 means the Gila River Indian Community of the Res12 ervation. 

13 (3) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map en14 titled ‘‘Results of Survey, Ellis Property, A Portion 

of the West 1 15 ⁄2 of Section 12, Township 5 South, 

16 Range 7 East, Gila and Salt River Meridian, Pinal 

17 County, Arizona’’ and dated October 15, 2012. 

18 (4) RESERVATION.—The term ‘‘Reservation’’ 

19 means the land located within the exterior bound20 aries of the reservation created under sections 3 and 

21 4 of the Act of February 28, 1859 (11 Stat. 401, 

22 chapter LXVI), and Executive orders of August 31, 

23 1876, June 14, 1879, May 5, 1882, November 15, 

24 1883, July 31, 1911, June 2, 1913, August 27, 


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1 1914, and July 19, 1915, and any other lands 

2 placed in trust for the benefit of the Community. 

3 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

4 the Secretary of the Interior. 

5 SEC. 3. LAND TAKEN INTO TRUST FOR BENEFIT OF THE 

6 GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall take the 

8 Blackwater Trading Post Land into trust for the benefit 

9 of the Community, after the Community— 

10 (1) conveys to the Secretary all right, title, and 

11 interest of the Community in and to the Blackwater 

12 Trading Post Land; 

13 (2) submits to the Secretary a request to take 

14 the Blackwater Trading Post Land into trust for the 

15 benefit of the Community; 

16 (3) conducts a survey (to the satisfaction of the 

17 Secretary) to determine the exact acreage and legal 

18 description of the Blackwater Trading Post Land, if 

19 the Secretary determines a survey is necessary; and 

20 (4) pays all costs of any survey conducted 

21 under paragraph (3). 

22 (b) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—Not later than 180 days 

23 after the Blackwater Trading Post Land is taken into 

24 trust under subsection (a), the map shall be on file and 


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1 available for public inspection in the appropriate offices 

2 of the Secretary. 

3 (c) LANDS TAKEN INTO TRUST PART OF RESERVA4 TION.—After the date on which the Blackwater Trading 

5 Post Land is taken into trust under subsection (a), the 

6 land shall be treated as part of the Reservation. 

7 (d) GAMING.—Class II and class III gaming under 

8 the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et 

9 seq.) shall not be allowed at any time on the land taken 

10 into trust under subsection (a). 

11 (e) DESCRIPTION.—Not later than 180 days after the 

12 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall cause 

13 the full metes-and-bounds description of the Blackwater 

14 Trading Post Land to be published in the Federal Reg15 ister. The description shall, on publication, constitute the 

16 official description of the Blackwater Trading Post Land. 

Æ 


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