Quapaw Tribal Landowner Settlement Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.4715 | Sponsor: Rep. Mullin, Markwayne (R-OK)
Policy area: Native Americans

Summary:
Quapaw Tribal Landowner Settlement Act of 2021
This bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to make FY2021 payments to members of the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma in accordance with the January 2020 recommendation of the review panel of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

To authorize appropriations to the Secretary of the Interior to make 
    payments to certain members of the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma in 
   accordance with the recommendation of the United States Court of 
                            Federal Claims.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Quapaw Tribal Landowner Settlement 
Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. QUAPAW TRIBAL LANDOWNER SETTLEMENT.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) on December 19, 2012, the House of Representatives 
        passed H. Res. 668 (112th Congress), which referred H.R. 5862 
        (112th Congress), entitled ``A bill relating to members of the 
        Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma (O-Gah-Pah)'', to the chief judge of 
        the United States Court of Federal Claims;
            (2) H. Res. 668 instructed the chief judge of the United 
        States Court of Federal Claims to report back to the House of 
        Representatives findings of fact and conclusions of law 
        ``sufficient to inform the Congress of the nature, extent, and 
        character of the Indian trust-related claims of the Quapaw 
        Tribe of Oklahoma and its tribal members for compensation as 
        legal or equitable claims against the United States'';
            (3) the claims referred to in paragraph (2) relate to the 
        historical management by the Federal Government of the trust of 
        the Tribe;
            (4) the hearing officer for the referral concluded in the 
        report that ``it would be fair, just, and equitable to pay 
        Claimants a total sum of $137,500,000'' for all claims asserted 
        or those that could have been asserted under the terms of H.R. 
        5862;
            (5) following issuance of the report, each of the parties 
        in the referral filed a notice responsive to Rules of the 
        United States Court of Federal Claims and accepted the findings 
        and recommendations of the United States Court of Federal 
        Claims, without exceptions; and
            (6) the Review Panel of the United States Court of Federal 
        Claims adopted the findings and conclusions of the hearing 
        officer in the report, and on January 9, 2020, officially 
        recommended to the House of Representatives that the claimants 
        be awarded and paid a total sum of $137,500,000 for the 
        extinguishment of all claims actually or potentially included 
        in H.R. 5862.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Claimant.--The term ``claimant'' means a claimant in 
        the referral.
            (2) Referral.--The term ``referral'' means the 
        Congressional reference case designated by the United States 
        Court of Federal Claims as Thomas Charles Bear, et al. v. the 
        United States (No. 13-51).
            (3) Report.--The term ``report'' means the report filed by 
        the hearing officer for the referral on December 3, 2019.
            (4) Tribe.--The term ``Tribe'' means the Quapaw Tribe of 
        Oklahoma.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior to pay the claimants in 
accordance with the recommendation of the Review Panel of the United 
States Court of Federal Claims submitted to the House of 
Representatives on January 9, 2020, $137,500,000 for fiscal year 2021, 
to remain available until expended.
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