I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2306 
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 18 and 188, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 14, 2007 
Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
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 18 
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, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Minnesota Chippewa 
Tribe Judgment Fund Distribution Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(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. 
(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-
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ited into a trust fund account established for the 
beneficiaries of the funds awarded in Docket No. 19 
and 188. 
(6) The funds awarded in Docket No. 19 and 
188 represent additional compensation that would 
have been distributed per capita under the Nelson 
Act if the funds had been deposited into the perma-
nent account established in the U.S. Treasury for 
the Chippewa Indians of Minnesota. Hence, the 
judgment funds shall be divided pro rata among the 
Bands based upon the number of members enrolled 
with each Band. 
(7) Pursuant to the Indian Tribal Judgment 
Funds Use or Distribution Act (25 U.S.C. 1401 et 
seq.), the Secretary is required to submit to Con-
gress for approval an Indian judgment fund use or 
distribution plan. 
(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to pro-
vide for the fair and equitable division of the judgment 
funds among the Bands and to provide each Band the op-
portunity to develop a use and distribution plan for its 
share of the funds. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
For the purpose of this Act: 
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(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 payment of at-
torney fees and litigation expenses. 
(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 29, 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 CERTAIN BANDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) The Secretary is authorized 
to reimburse each Band the amount of funds plus interest 
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earned to the date of reimbursement that the Band con-
tributed for payment of litigation expenses and expert wit-
ness fees associated with the litigation of Docket No. 19 
and 188 before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. 
(2) Reimbursement to a Band shall only be for litiga-
tion expenses and expert witness fees incurred prior to 
June 22, 1999. 
(b) CLAIMS.—The Band’s claim for reimbursement 
of funds expended shall be— 
(1) presented to the Secretary within 90 days 
of the date of enactment of this Act, 
(2) itemized and supported by invoices and re-
ceipts, 
(3) certified by the Band as being unreim-
bursed to the Band from other funding sources, and 
(4) paid with interest calculated at the rate of 
5.5 percent per annum, simple interest, from the 
date the funds were expended to the date the funds 
are reimbursed to the Band. 
(c) REVIEW.—The Secretary shall review the claims 
and determine if the fees and expenses are properly docu-
mented and incurred in the litigation of the claims before 
the Court in Docket No. 19 and 188. All claims approved 
by the Secretary for reimbursement to the Band shall be 
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paid from the judgment funds prior to the division of the 
funds under section 5. 
SEC. 5. DIVISION OF JUDGMENT FUNDS. 
(a) MEMBERSHIP ROLLS.—The Bands shall update 
their membership rolls to include all enrolled members liv-
ing on the date of enactment of this Act. The membership 
rolls shall be subject to the review and approval of the 
Secretary. 
(b) DIVISIONS.—After all funds have been reim-
bursed as provided under section 4, and the membership 
rolls have been updated, reviewed, and approved under 
subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary shall divide 
the available judgment funds among the Bands in propor-
tion to the number of members enrolled with each Band. 
(c) SEPARATE ACCOUNTS.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a separate account for each Band and deposit each 
Band’s proportionate share of the available judgment 
funds into their respective account. 
SEC. 6. DEVELOPMENT OF TRIBAL PLANS FOR THE USE OR 
DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS. 
(a) DISTRIBUTION PLANS.—The Secretary shall have 
no more than 180 days from the date that the funds are 
divided among the Bands under section 5 to prepare and 
submit to the Congress, in a manner otherwise consistent 
with the Indian Tribal Judgment Funds Use or Distribu-
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tion Act (25 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.), separate plans for the 
use and distribution of each Band’s respective share of 
the available funds. 
(b) WITHDRAWAL.—Once a distribution plan be-
comes effective in accordance with subsection (a), a Band 
may withdraw all or part of the monies in its account in 
accordance with the Band’s distribution plan. 
(c) LIABILITY.—If a Band exercises the right to with-
draw monies from its account, the Secretary shall not re-
tain any liability for the expenditure or investment of the 
monies withdrawn. 
SEC. 7. 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 DISTRIBUTED ACT.— 
All funds distributed under this Act are subject to the pro-
visions in the Indian Judgment Funds Distributed Act (25 
U.S.C. 1407). 
Æ 
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