IIB 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 326 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 3, 2009 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs 

AN ACT 

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, 


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HR 326 RFS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cocopah Lands Act’’. 

3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) The reservation of the Cocopah Tribe of Ar6 izona is located in Yuma County, Arizona. 

7 (2) That reservation was created by an Execu8 tive order signed by President Woodrow Wilson in 

9 1917. 

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

11 3 noncontiguous reservations comprising a total of 

12 approximately 6,226.3 acres of trust land. 

13 (4) The Tribe purchased the additional lands to 

14 provide infrastructure to housing areas, water, and 

15 economic development to tribal members. 

16 (5) The current trust land base of the reserva17 tion is insufficient to provide such needs. 

18 (6) The Tribe acquired 7 parcels of land contig19 uous to its present reservation lands in 1986, 1993, 

20 1997, and 2005, and these parcels are currently 

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

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

23 trust for gaming purposes. 

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

25 and economic needs to its tribal members is to re26 quire the Secretary to take lands in Yuma County, 


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HR 326 RFS

1 Arizona, that are acquired by the Tribe into trust 

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

3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

4 For the purpose of this Act, the following definitions 

5 apply: 

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

7 Cocopah Tribe of Arizona. 

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

9 the Secretary of the Interior. 

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

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

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

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

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

15 there are no recognized environmental conditions or con16 tamination related concerns and no adverse legal claims 

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

18 taxes owed. 

19 (b) LAND DESCRIBED.—The land referred to in sub20 section (a) is described as follows: 

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

and the SW1⁄4 of the NW1 22 ⁄4, of Sec. 1, T. 10 S., R. 

23 25 W., of the Gila and Salt River Base and Merid24 ian, Yuma County, Arizona, except that portion of 

the SW1⁄4 of the NW1 25 ⁄4, of said Sec. 1, T. 10 S., 


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HR 326 RFS

1 R. 25 W., lying southeasterly of the north right-of2 way line of the Bureau of Reclamation levee. 

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

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

5 25 W., of the Gila and Salt River Base and Merid6 ian, Yuma County, Arizona. 

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

That part of the E1⁄2 of the SE1 8 ⁄4, lying south of the 

9 East Main Bureau of Reclamation Canal right of 

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

11 Salt River Base and Meridian, Yuma County, Ari12 zona. 

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

That portion of the NW1⁄4 of the NE1 14 ⁄4, of Sec. 31, 

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

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

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

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

19 easement over the easterly 15 feet of the north 220 

feet of that portion of the NW1⁄4 of the NE1 20 ⁄4, of 

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

22 Base and Meridian, Yuma County, Arizona, lying 

23 north of the levee and Salinity Canal for irrigation 

24 purposes. 


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

2 21, 24, and 25, Sec. 29, and Lots 16 and 17 and 

the N1⁄2 of the SW1⁄4 of the SE1 3 ⁄4, of Sec. 30, T. 

4 16 S., R. 22 E., of the San Bernardino Meridian, 

5 Yuma County, Arizona, according to the dependent 

6 resurvey of the Bureau of Land Management, ac7 cepted December 9, 1960. 

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

That portion of the W1⁄2 of the SE1 9 ⁄4 of Sec. 30, T. 

10 9 S., R. 23 W., of the Gila and Salt River Base and 

11 Meridian, Yuma County, Arizona, lying south and 

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

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

14 mineral rights, as reserved in the deed recorded in 

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

16 Arizona. 

17 (c) LANDS TO BE MADE PART OF THE RESERVA18 TION.—Land taken into trust pursuant to subsection (a) 

19 shall be considered to be part of the Tribe’s initial reserva20 tion. 

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

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

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


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

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

3 for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. 

Passed the House of Representatives March 2, 

2009. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 


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