SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP ROLLS. 
(a) COMPILATION OF TRIBAL MEMBERSHIP ROLL.— 
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall, after consultation with the 
Tribe, compile a membership roll of the Tribe. 
(b) CRITERIA FOR ENROLLMENTS.— 
(1) PRECONSTITUTION
ROLL.—Until a tribal 
constitution is adopted pursuant to section 6, an in-
dividual shall be placed on the Ruffey Rancheria 
membership roll if the individual is living, is not an 
enrolled member of another federally recognized In-
dian tribe, and if— 
(A) such individual’s name was listed on 
the Ruffey Rancheria distribution list compiled 
by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and approved 
by the Secretary and published in the Federal 
Register on April 11, 1961, under Public Law 
85–671; 
(B) such individual was not listed on, but 
met the requirements that had to be met to be 
listed on the Ruffey Rancheria distribution list; 
(C) such individual is of Indian ancestry 
and enumerated on any documents prepared by 
or at the direction of the Bureau of Indian Af-
fairs for the Etna, Etna Mills, Fort Jones, 
Meamber, Ager, Bogus Creek, Hornbrook, 
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Cleveland, or Sunnyside Districts, Siskiyou 
County, California, vicinities, or on any Federal 
census for Etna, Etna Mills, or Etna Township, 
Siskiyou County, California; or 
(D) the individual is a lineal descendant of 
an individual, living or dead, identified in sub-
paragraph (A), (B), or (C). 
(2) ROLL
AFTER
ADOPTION
OF
CONSTITU-
TION.—After adoption of a tribal constitution under 
section 6, such tribal constitution shall govern mem-
bership in the Tribe. 
(c) CONCLUSIVE PROOF OF RUFFEY RANCHERIA AN-
CESTRY.—For the purpose of subsection (b), the Secretary 
shall accept any available evidence establishing Ruffey In-
dian ancestry. The Secretary shall accept as conclusive 
evidence of Ruffey Indian ancestry information contained 
in the census of the Indians from Etna, Fort Jones, 
Meamber, Cleveland, or Sunnyside Districts, Siskiyou 
County, California, vicinities, prepared by or at the direc-
tion of Special Indian Agent C. E. Kelsey, in any roll or 
census of Etna, Etna Mills, Fort Jones, Ager, Bogus 
Creek, Hornbrook, or Salmon River Indians prepared by 
or at the direction of the Bureau of Indian Affairs or the 
U.S. Census, or in the Ruffey Rancheria distribution list 
compiled by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and approved 
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by the Secretary and published in the Federal Register 
on April 11, 1961. 
SEC. 5. INTERIM GOVERNMENT. 
Until a new tribal constitution and bylaws are adopt-
ed and become effective under section 6, the governing 
body of the Tribe shall be an Interim Council. The initial 
membership of the Interim Council shall consist of the 
members of the Executive Council of the Tribe on the date 
of the enactment of this Act, and the Interim Council shall 
continue to operate in the manner prescribed for the Exec-
utive Council under the tribal constitution of the Tribe 
adopted on December 19, 2014, to the extent that such 
constitution is not contrary to Federal law. Any new mem-
bers filling vacancies on the Interim Council shall meet 
the enrollment criteria set forth in section 4(b) and be 
elected in the same manner as are Executive Council mem-
bers under the tribal constitution adopted December 19, 
2014. 
SEC. 6. TRIBAL CONSTITUTION. 
(a) ELECTION; TIME; PROCEDURE.—After the com-
pilation of the tribal membership roll under section 4, 
upon the written request of the Interim Tribal Council, 
the Secretary shall conduct, by secret ballot, an election 
for the purpose of ratifying a final constitution for the 
Tribe. The election shall be held consistent with sections 
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16(c)(1) and 16(c)(2)(A) of the Act of June 18, 1934 
(commonly known as the Indian Reorganization Act; 25 
U.S.C. 5123(c)(1) and 5123(c)(2)(A), respectively). Ab-
sentee voting shall be permitted regardless of voter resi-
dence. 
(b) ELECTION
OF
TRIBAL
OFFICIALS; PROCE-
DURES.—Not later than 120 days after the Tribe ratifies 
a final constitution under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall conduct an election by secret ballot for the purpose 
of electing tribal officials as provided in such tribal con-
stitution. Such election shall be conducted consistent with 
the procedures specified in subsection (a) except to the 
extent that such procedures conflict with the tribal con-
stitution. 
SEC. 7. LIMITATIONS ON INDIAN GAMING ON ACQUIRED 
LANDS. 
In addition to any other requirements under applica-
ble Federal law, gaming conducted pursuant to an excep-
tion under section 20(b)(1)(b) of the Indian Gaming Reg-
ulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2719) shall not be conducted on 
any land taken into trust by the United States for the 
benefit of the Tribe unless the Secretary determines, on 
the date that the land is taken into trust, that the Tribe— 
(1) has received a written determination by the 
Secretary that the land is eligible to be used for 
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gaming under section 20 of the Indian Gaming Reg-
ulatory Act; and 
(2) demonstrates— 
(A) a substantial, direct, modern connec-
tion to the land taken into trust; and 
(B) a substantial, direct, aboriginal con-
nection to the land taken into trust. 
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act: 
(1) TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the 
Ruffey Rancheria of California. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(3) INTERIM
COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Interim 
Council’’ means the governing body of the Tribe 
specified in section 6. 
(4) MEMBER.—The term ‘‘member’’ means any 
person meeting the enrollment criteria under section 
4(b). 
(5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 
of California. 
(6) RESERVATION.—The term ‘‘reservation’’ 
means those lands acquired and held in trust by the 
Secretary for the benefit of the Tribe pursuant to 
section 3. 
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