SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Western Shoshone
Claims Distribution Act’’.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) 
COMMITTEE.—The 
term 
‘‘Committee’’
means the administrative committee established
under section 4(c)(1).
(2) WESTERN
SHOSHONE
JOINT
JUDGMENT
FUNDS.—The term ‘‘Western Shoshone joint judg-
ment funds’’ means—
(A) the funds appropriated in satisfaction
of the judgment awards granted to the Western
Shoshone Indians in Docket Numbers 326–A–
1 and 326–A–3 before the United States Court
of Claims; and
(B) all interest earned on those funds.
(3) WESTERN SHOSHONE JUDGMENT FUNDS.—
The term ‘‘Western Shoshone judgment funds’’
means—
(A) the funds appropriated in satisfaction
of the judgment award granted to the Western
Shoshone Indians in Docket Number 326–K be-
fore the Indian Claims Commission; and
(B) all interest earned on those funds.
(4) JUDGMENT
ROLL.—The term ‘‘judgment
roll’’ means the Western Shoshone judgment roll es-
tablished by the Secretary under section 3(b)(1).
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of the Interior.
(6) TRUST
FUND.—The term ‘‘Trust Fund’’
means the Western Shoshone Educational Trust
Fund established under section 4(b)(1).
(7) WESTERN SHOSHONE MEMBER.—The term
‘‘Western Shoshone member’’ means an individual
who—
(A)(i) appears on the judgment roll; or
(ii) is the lineal descendant of an indi-
vidual appearing on the roll; and
(B)(i) satisfies all eligibility criteria estab-
lished 
by 
the 
Committee 
under 
section
4(c)(4)(D)(iii);
(ii) meets any application requirements es-
tablished by the Committee; and
(iii) agrees to use funds distributed in ac-
cordance with section 4(b)(2)(B) for edu-
cational purposes approved by the Committee.
SEC. 3. DISTRIBUTION OF WESTERN SHOSHONE JUDGMENT
FUNDS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Western Shoshone judgment
funds shall be distributed in accordance with this section.
(b) JUDGMENT ROLL.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish
a Western Shoshone judgment roll consisting of all
individuals who—
(A) have at least 1⁄4 degree of Western
Shoshone blood;
(B) are citizens of the United States; and
(C) are living on the date of enactment of
this Act.
(2) INELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—Any individual
that is certified by the Secretary to be eligible to re-
ceive a per capita payment from any other judgment
fund based on an aboriginal land claim awarded by
the Indian Claims Commission, the United States
Claims Court, or the United States Court of Federal
Claims, that was appropriated on or before the date
of enactment of this Act, shall not be listed on the
judgment roll.
(3) 
REGULATIONS
REGARDING
JUDGMENT
ROLL.—The Secretary shall—
(A) publish in the Federal Register all reg-
ulations governing the establishment of the
judgment roll; and
(B) use any documents acceptable to the
Secretary in establishing proof of eligibility of
an individual to—
(i) be listed on the judgment roll; and
(ii) receive a per capita payment
under this Act.
(4) FINALITY OF DETERMINATION.—The deter-
mination of the Secretary on an application of an in-
dividual to be listed on the judgment roll shall be
final.
(c) DISTRIBUTION.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—On establishment of the
judgment roll, the Secretary shall make a per capita
distribution of 100 percent of the Western Shoshone
judgment funds, in shares as equal as practicable, to
each person listed on the judgment roll.
(2) REQUIREMENTS
FOR
DISTRIBUTION
PAY-
MENTS.—
(A) LIVING
COMPETENT
INDIVIDUALS.—
The per capita share of a living, competent in-
dividual who is 19 years or older on the date
of distribution of the Western Shoshone judg-
ment funds under paragraph (1) shall be paid
directly to the individual.
(B) LIVING, LEGALLY INCOMPETENT INDI-
VIDUALS.—The per capita share of a living, le-
gally incompetent individual shall be adminis-
tered in accordance with regulations promul-
gated and procedures established by the Sec-
retary under section 3(b)(3) of the Indian Trib-
al Judgment Funds Use or Distribution Act
(25 U.S.C. 1403(b)(3)).
(C) DECEASED
INDIVIDUALS.—The per
capita share of an individual who is deceased as
of the date of distribution of the Western Sho-
shone judgment funds under paragraph (1)
shall be paid to the heirs and legatees of the in-
dividual in accordance with regulations promul-
gated by the Secretary.
(D) INDIVIDUALS
UNDER
THE
AGE
OF
19.—The per capita share of an individual who
is not yet 19 years of age on the date of dis-
tribution of the Western Shoshone judgment
funds under paragraph (1) shall be—
(i) held by the Secretary in a super-
vised individual Indian money account; and
(ii) distributed to the individual—
(B) be considered to be income or re-
sources for any purpose; or
(C) be used as a basis for denying or re-
ducing financial assistance or any other benefit
to which a household or Western Shoshone
member would otherwise be entitled to receive
under—
(i) the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
301 et seq.); or
(ii) any other Federal or federally-as-
sisted program.
(4) UNPAID FUNDS.—The Secretary shall add
to the Western Shoshone joint judgment funds held
in the Trust Fund under section 4(b)(1)—
(A) all per capita shares (including interest
earned on those shares) of living competent
adults listed on the judgment roll that remain
unpaid as of the date that is—
(i) 6 years after the date of distribu-
tion of the Western Shoshone judgment
funds under paragraph (1); or
(ii) in the case of an individual de-
scribed in paragraph (2)(D), 6 years after
the date on which the individual reaches
18 years of age; and
(B) any other residual principal and inter-
est funds remaining after the distribution under
paragraph (1) is complete.
SEC. 4. DISTRIBUTION OF WESTERN SHOSHONE JOINT
JUDGMENT FUNDS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Western Shoshone joint judg-
ment funds shall be distributed in accordance with this
section.
(b) WESTERN
SHOSHONE
EDUCATIONAL
TRUST
FUND.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 120 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall establish in the Treasury of the United
States, for the benefit of Western Shoshone mem-
bers, a trust fund to be known as the ‘‘Western Sho-
shone Educational Trust Fund’’, consisting of—
(A) the Western Shoshone joint judgment
funds; and
(B) the funds added under section 3(b)(4).
(2) AMOUNTS IN TRUST FUND.—With respect
to amounts in the Trust fund—
(A) the principal amount—
(i) shall not be expended or disbursed;
and
(ii) shall be invested in accordance
with section 1 of the Act of June 24, 1938
(25 U.S.C. 162a); and
(B) all interest income earned on the prin-
cipal amount after the date of establishment of
the Trust fund—
(i) 
shall 
be 
distributed 
by 
the
Committee—
(I) to Western Shoshone mem-
bers in accordance with this Act, to be
used as educational grants or for
other forms of educational assistance
determined appropriate by the Com-
mittee; and
(II) to pay the reasonable and
necessary expenses of the Committee
(as defined in the written rules and
procedures of the Committee); but
(ii) shall not be distributed under this
paragraph on a per capita basis.
(c) ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established an
administrative committee to oversee the distribution
of educational grants and assistance under sub-
section (b)(2).
(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall be
composed of 7 members, of which—
(A) 1 member shall represent the Western
Shoshone Te-Moak Tribe and be appointed by
that Tribe;
(B) 
member 
shall 
represent 
the
Duckwater Shoshone Tribe and be appointed by
that Tribe;
(C) 1 member shall represent the Yomba
Shoshone Tribe and be appointed by that Tribe;
(D) 1 member shall represent the Ely Sho-
shone Tribe and be appointed by that Tribe;
(E) 1 member shall represent the Western
Shoshone Committee of the Duck Valley Res-
ervation and be appointed by that Committee;
(F) 1 member shall represent the Fallon
Band of Western Shoshone and be appointed by
that Band; and
(G) 1 member shall represent the general
public and be appointed by the Secretary.
(3) TERM.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—Each member of the
Committee shall serve a term of 4 years.
(B) VACANCIES.—If a vacancy remains un-
filled in the membership of the Committee for
a period of more than 60 days—
(i) the Committee shall appoint a tem-
porary replacement from among qualified
members of the organization for which the
replacement is being made; and
(ii) that member shall serve until such
time as the organization (or, in the case of
a member described in paragraph (2)(G),
the Secretary) designates a permanent re-
placement.
(4) DUTIES.—The Committee shall—
(A) distribute interest funds from the
Trust Fund under subsection (b)(2)(B)(i);
(B) for each fiscal year, compile a list of
names of all individuals approved to receive
those funds;
(C) ensure that those funds are used in a
manner consistent with this Act;
(D) develop written rules and procedures,
subject to the approval of the Secretary, that
cover such matters as—
(i) operating procedures;
(ii) rules of conduct;
(iii) eligibility criteria for receipt of
funds under subsection (b)(2)(B)(i);
(iv) application selection procedures;
(v) procedures for appeals to decisions
of the Committee;
(vi) fund disbursement procedures;
and
(vii) fund recoupment procedures;
(E) carry out financial management in ac-
cordance with paragraph (6); and
(F) 
in 
accordance 
with 
subsection
(b)(2)(C)(ii), use a portion of the interest funds
from the Trust Fund to pay the reasonable and
necessary expenses of the Committee (including
per diem rates for attendance at meetings that
are equal to those paid to Federal employees in
the same geographic location), except that not
more than $100,000 of those funds may be
used to develop written rules and procedures
described in subparagraph (D).
(5) JURISDICTION OF TRIBAL COURTS.—At the
discretion of the Committee and with the approval of
the appropriate tribal government, a tribal court, or
a court of Indian offenses operated under section 11
of title 25, Code of Federal Regulations (or a suc-
cessor regulation), shall have jurisdiction to hear an
appeal of a decision of the Committee.
(6) FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.—
(A) FINANCIAL
STATEMENT.—The Com-
mittee shall employ an independent certified
public accountant to prepare a financial state-
ment for each fiscal year that discloses—
(i) the operating expenses of the Com-
mittee for the fiscal year; and
(ii) the total amount of funds dis-
bursed under subsection (b)(2)(B)(i) for
the fiscal year.
(B) DISTRIBUTION
OF
INFORMATION.—
For each fiscal year, the Committee shall pro-
vide to the Secretary, to each organization rep-
resented on the Committee, and, on the request
of a Western Shoshone member, to the Western
Shoshone member, a copy of—
(i) the financial statement prepared
under subparagraph (A); and
(ii) the list of names compiled under
paragraph (4)(B).
(d) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall consult
with the Committee on the management and investment
of the funds distributed under this section.