IIB 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 1272 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JUNE 19, 2012 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs 
AN ACT 
To provide for the use and distribution of the funds awarded 
to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, et al., by the United 
States Court of Federal Claims in Docket Numbers 19 
and 188, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Minnesota Chippewa 
Tribe Judgment Fund Distribution Act of 2012’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) On January 22, 1948, the Minnesota Chip-
pewa Tribe, representing all Chippewa bands in Min-
nesota except the Red Lake Band, filed a claim be-
fore the Indian Claims Commission in Docket No. 
19 for an accounting of all funds received and ex-
pended pursuant to the Act of January 14, 1889, 25 
Stat. 642, and amendatory acts (hereinafter referred 
to as the Nelson Act). 
(2) On August 2, 1951, the Minnesota Chip-
pewa Tribe, representing all Chippewa bands in Min-
nesota except the Red Lake Band, filed a number of 
claims before the Indian Claims Commission in 
Docket No. 188 for an accounting of the Govern-
ment’s obligation to each of the member bands of 
the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe under various stat-
utes and treaties that are not covered by the Nelson 
Act of January 14, 1889. 
(3) On May 17, 1999, a Joint Motion for Find-
ings in Aid of Settlement of the claims in Docket 
No. 19 and 188 was filed before the Court. 
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(4) The terms of the settlement were approved 
by the Court and the final judgment was entered on 
May 26, 1999. 
(5) On June 22, 1999, $20,000,000 was trans-
ferred to the Department of the Interior and depos-
ited into a trust fund account established for the 
beneficiaries of the funds awarded in Docket No. 19 
and 188. 
(6) Pursuant to the Indian Tribal Judgment 
Funds Use or Distribution Act (25 U.S.C. 1401 et 
seq.), Congress must act to authorize the use or dis-
tribution of the judgment funds. 
(7) On October 1, 2009, the Minnesota Chip-
pewa Tribal Executive Committee passed Resolution 
146–09, approving a plan to distribute the judgment 
funds and requesting that the United States Con-
gress act to distribute the judgment funds in the 
manner described by the plan. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
For the purpose of this Act: 
(1) AVAILABLE FUNDS.—The term ‘‘available 
funds’’ means the funds awarded to the Minnesota 
Chippewa Tribe and interest earned and received on 
those funds, less the funds used for payments au-
thorized under section 4. 
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(2) BANDS.—The term ‘‘Bands’’ means the 
Bois Forte Band, Fond du Lac Band, Grand Por-
tage Band, Leech Lake Band, Mille Lacs Band, and 
White Earth Band. 
(3) JUDGMENT FUNDS.—The term ‘‘judgment 
funds’’ means the funds awarded on May 26, 1999, 
to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe by the Court of 
Federal Claims in Docket No. 19 and 188. 
(4) MINNESOTA CHIPPEWA TRIBE.—The term 
‘‘Minnesota Chippewa Tribe’’ means the Minnesota 
Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota, composed of the Bois 
Forte Band, Fond du Lac Band, Grand Portage 
Band, Leech Lake Band, Mille Lacs Band, and 
White Earth Band. It does not include Red Lake 
Band of Chippewa Indians, Minnesota. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
SEC. 4. LOAN REIMBURSEMENTS TO MINNESOTA CHIP-
PEWA TRIBE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to re-
imburse the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe the amount of 
funds, plus interest earned to the date of reimbursement, 
that the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe contributed for pay-
ment of attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses associated 
with the litigation of Docket No. 19 and 188 before the 
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U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the distribution of judg-
ment funds. 
(b) CLAIMS.—The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe’s claim 
for reimbursement of funds expended shall be— 
(1) presented to the Secretary not later than 90 
days after the date of enactment of this Act; 
(2) certified by the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe 
as being unreimbursed to the Minnesota Chippewa 
Tribe from other funding sources; 
(3) paid with interest calculated at the rate of 
6.0 percent per annum, simple interest, from the 
date the funds were expended to the date the funds 
are reimbursed to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe; 
and 
(4) paid from the judgment funds prior to the 
division of the funds under section 5. 
SEC. 5. DIVISION OF JUDGMENT FUNDS. 
(a) MEMBERSHIP ROLLS.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Minnesota 
Chippewa Tribe shall submit to the Secretary updated 
membership rolls for each Band, which shall include all 
enrolled members the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(b) DIVISIONS.—After all funds have been reim-
bursed under section 4, and the membership rolls have 
been updated under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 
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(1) set aside for each Band a portion of the 
available judgment funds equivalent to $300 for 
each member enrolled within each Band; and 
(2) after the funds are set aside in accordance 
with paragraph (1), divide 100 percent of the re-
maining funds into equal shares for each Band. 
(c) SEPARATE ACCOUNTS.—The Secretary shall— 
(1) deposit all funds described in subsection 
(b)(1) into a ‘‘Per Capita’’ account for each Band; 
and 
(2) deposit all funds described in subsection 
(b)(2) into an ‘‘Equal Shares’’ account for each 
Band. 
(d) WITHDRAWAL OF FUNDS.—After the Secretary 
deposits the available funds into the accounts described 
in subsection (c), a Band may withdraw all or part of the 
monies in its account. 
(e) DISBURSEMENT OF PER CAPITA PAYMENTS.—All 
funds described in subsection (b)(1) shall be used by each 
Band only for the purposes of distributing one $300 pay-
ment to each individual member of the Band. Each Band 
may— 
(1) distribute the $300 payment to the parents 
or legal guardians on behalf of each dependent Band 
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member instead of distributing such $300 payment 
to the dependent Band member; or 
(2) deposit into a trust account the $300 pay-
ment to each dependent Band member for the ben-
efit of such dependent Band member, to be distrib-
uted under the terms of such trust. 
(f) DISTRIBUTION OF UNCLAIMED PAYMENTS.—One 
year after the funds described in subsection (b)(1) are 
made available to the Bands, all unclaimed payments de-
scribed in subsection (e) shall be returned to the Sec-
retary, who shall divide these funds into equal shares for 
each Band, and deposit the divided shares into the ac-
counts described in subsection (c)(2) for the use of each 
Band. 
(g) LIABILITY.—If a Band exercises the right to 
withdraw monies from its accounts, the Secretary shall not 
retain liability for the expenditure or investment of the 
monies after each withdrawal. 
SEC. 6. GENERAL PROVISIONS. 
(a) 
PREVIOUS
OBLIGATIONS.—Funds 
disbursed 
under this Act shall not be liable for the payment of pre-
viously contracted obligations of any recipient as provided 
in Public Law 98–64 (25 U.S.C. 117b(a)). 
(b) INDIAN
JUDGMENT
FUNDS
DISTRIBUTION 
ACT.—All funds distributed under this Act are subject to 
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