I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 326 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to take lands in Yuma County, 

Arizona, into trust as part of the reservation of the Cocopah Tribe 

of Arizona, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 8, 2009 

Mr. GRIJALVA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to take lands in 

Yuma County, Arizona, into trust as part of the reservation of the Cocopah Tribe of Arizona, 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 ‘‘Cocopah Lands Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

6 Congress finds the following: 

7 (1) The reservation of the Cocopah Tribe of Ar8 izona is located in Yuma County, Arizona. 


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1 (2) That reservation was created by an Execu2 tive order signed by President Woodrow Wilson in 

3 1917. 

4 (3) The Tribe’s land holdings are located within 

5 3 noncontiguous reservations comprising a total of 

6 approximately 6,226.3 acres of trust land. 

7 (4) The Tribe purchased the additional lands to 

8 provide infrastructure to housing areas, water, and 

9 economic development to tribal members. 

10 (5) The current trust land base of the reserva11 tion is insufficient to provide such needs. 

12 (6) The Tribe acquired 7 parcels of land contig13 uous to its present reservation lands in 1986, 1993, 

14 1997, and 2005, and these parcels are currently 

15 classified as ‘‘Tribal fee lands’’ under Federal law. 

16 (7) The acquired parcels shall not be taken into 

17 trust for gaming purposes. 

18 (8) The best means of solving the Tribe’s land 

19 and economic needs to its tribal members is to re20 quire the Secretary to take lands in Yuma County, 

21 Arizona, that are acquired by the Tribe into trust 

22 for the Tribe subject to the provisions of this Act. 

23 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

24 For the purpose of this Act, the following definitions 

25 apply: 


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1 (1) TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the 

2 Cocopah Tribe of Arizona. 

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

4 the Secretary of the Interior. 

5 SEC. 4. LANDS TO BE TAKEN INTO TRUST. 

6 (a) LANDS TO BE TAKEN INTO TRUST.—If the Tribe 

7 transfers title to the land described in subsection (b) to 

8 the Secretary, the Secretary shall take that land into trust 

9 for the benefit of the Tribe, if at the time of such transfer 

10 there are no recognized environmental conditions or con11 tamination related concerns and no adverse legal claims 

12 to such land, including outstanding liens, mortgages, or 

13 taxes owed. 

14 (b) LAND DESCRIBED.—The land referred to in sub15 section (a) is described as follows: 

16 (1) PARCEL 1 (SIBLEY PURCHASE 1986).—Lot 4 

and the SW1⁄4 of the NW1 17 ⁄4, of Sec. 1, T. 10 S., R. 

18 25 W., of the Gila and Salt River Base and Merid19 ian, Yuma County, Arizona, except that portion of 

the SW1⁄4 of the NW1 20 ⁄4, of said Sec. 1, T. 10 S., 

21 R. 25 W., lying southeasterly of the north right-of22 way line of the Bureau of Reclamation levee. 

23 (2) PARCEL 2 (SIBLEY PURCHASE 1986).—Lot 1 

and the SE1⁄4 of the NE1 24 ⁄4, of Sec. 2, T. 10 S., R. 


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1 25 W., of the Gila and Salt River Base and Merid2 ian, Yuma County, Arizona. 

3 (3) PARCEL 3 (MCDANIEL PURCHASE 1993).— 

That part of the E1⁄2 of the SE1 4 ⁄4, lying south of the 

5 East Main Bureau of Reclamation Canal right of 

6 way in Sec. 30, T. 9 S., R. 23 W., of the Gila and 

7 Salt River Base and Meridian, Yuma County, Ari8 zona. 

9 (4) PARCEL 4 (HOLLAND PURCHASE 1997).— 

That portion of the NW1⁄4 of the NE1 10 ⁄4, of Sec. 31, 

11 T. 16 S., R 22 E., of the San Bernardino Base and 

12 Meridian, Yuma County, Arizona, lying north of the 

13 levee and Salinity Canal; except the north 220 feet. 

14 (5) PARCEL 5 (HOLLAND PURCHASE 1997).—An 

15 easement over the easterly 15 feet of the north 220 

feet of that portion of the NW1⁄4 of the NE1 16 ⁄4, of 

17 Sec. 31, T. 16 S., R. 22 E., of the San Bernardino 

18 Base and Meridian, Yuma County, Arizona, lying 

19 north of the levee and Salinity Canal for irrigation 

20 purposes. 

21 (6) PARCEL 6 (POWERS PURCHASE 1997).—Lots 

22 21, 24, and 25, Sec. 29, and Lots 16 and 17 and 

the N1⁄2 of the SW1⁄4 of the SE1 23 ⁄4, of Sec. 30, T. 

24 16 S., R. 22 E., of the San Bernardino Meridian, 

25 Yuma County, Arizona, according to the dependent 


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1 resurvey of the Bureau of Land Management, ac2 cepted December 9, 1960. 

3 (7) PARCEL 7 (SPEED WAY PURCHASE 2005).— 

That portion of the W1⁄2 of the SE1 4 ⁄4 of Sec. 30, T. 

5 9 S., R. 23 W., of the Gila and Salt River Base and 

6 Meridian, Yuma County, Arizona, lying south and 

7 east of the East Main Canal; except the south 33 

8 feet thereof; except one-third interest in and to all 

9 mineral rights, as reserved in the deed recorded in 

10 Docket 1461, page 600, records of Yuma County, 

11 Arizona. 

12 (c) LANDS TO BE MADE PART OF THE RESERVA13 TION.—Land taken into trust pursuant to subsection (a) 

14 shall be considered to be part of the Tribe’s initial reserva15 tion. 

16 (d) SERVICE AREA.—For the purposes of the delivery 

17 of Federal services to enrolled members of the Tribe, the 

18 Tribe’s service area shall be Yuma County, Arizona. 

19 (e) GAMING PROHIBITED.—Land taken into trust for 

20 the benefit of the Tribe under this Act shall not be used 

21 for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. 

Æ 


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