To establish subaccounts in the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund to satisfy the obligations of the United States with respect to certain Indian water rights settlements, and for other purposes.

Bill: 118-hr-8937
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Grijalva, Raúl M. [D-AZ-7]
Introduced: 2024-07-08
Policy area: Native Americans
Latest action: action_date: 2024-07-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Summaries:

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8937 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 8, 2024 Mr. Grijalva introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To establish subaccounts in the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund to satisfy the obligations of the United States with respect to certain Indian water rights settlements, and for other purposes.

1. Indian water rights settlement completion fund subaccounts (a) Amendment Section 70101 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ( Public Law 117–58 ; 25 U.S.C. 149 ) is amended by inserting after subsection (d) the following new subsections: (e) Operations, maintenance, and repair subaccount (1) Establishment There is established within the Fund a subaccount to be known as the Operations, Maintenance, and Repair Subaccount (referred to in this subsection as the OMR Subaccount ). (2) Deposits (A) In general Not later than December 31 of the year on which this subsection is enacted, and on each October 1 thereafter through October 1, 2033, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall deposit in the OMR Subaccount $34,000,000 for the uses set forth in paragraph (3). (B) Availability Amounts deposited in the OMR Subaccount under this paragraph shall be available to the Secretary of the Interior, without further appropriation or fiscal year limitation, for the uses described in paragraph (3). (3) Uses Amounts deposited in the OMR Subaccount under paragraph (2) shall be used by the Secretary of the Interior for transfers to funds or accounts authorized to receive appropriations to satisfy obligations of the United States under the following provisions: (A) The water delivery and operation, maintenance, repair, and related provisions of Public Law 98–530 , relating to the water rights of the Ak-Chin Indian Community. (B) The water delivery and operations, maintenance, repair and related provisions of the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 1988 ( Public Law 100–585 ), relating to the Animas-La Plata Project, as defined in section 3(2) of such Act. (C) The provisions of section 10603(g) of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 ( Public Law 111–11 ), relating to the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. (D) The water acquisition provisions of the Snake River Water Rights Act of 2004 (title X of division J of Public Law 108–447 ), relating to Snake River flow augmentation under section 5(a) of such Act. (f) New and continuing settlements subaccount (1) Establishment There is established within the Fund a subaccount to be known as the New and Continuing Settlements Subaccount (referred to in this subsection as the NCS Subaccount ). (2) Deposits (A) In general Not later than December 31 of the year on which this subsection is enacted, and on each October 1 thereafter through October 1, 2033, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall deposit in the NCS Subaccount $250,000,000 for the uses set forth in paragraph (3). (B) Availability In addition to amounts otherwise available, amounts deposited in the NCS Subaccount under this paragraph shall be available to the Secretary of the Interior, without further appropriation or fiscal year limitation, for the uses described in paragraph (3). (3) Uses Subject to paragraph (4), amounts deposited in the NCS Subaccount under paragraph (2) shall be used by the Secretary of the Interior for transfers to funds or accounts authorized to receive appropriations, or to satisfy other obligations of the United States identified by the Secretary of the Interior, under any Indian water settlement approved and authorized by an Act of Congress. (4) Scope of transfers (A) In general Transfers authorized under paragraph (3) shall be made in such amounts as are determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be appropriate to satisfy the obligations of the United States, including appropriate indexing, pursuant to the applicable Indian water settlement. (B) Sequence and timing The Secretary of the Interior shall have the discretion to determine the sequence and timing of transfers from the NCS Subaccount under paragraph (3) in order to substantially complete the eligible Indian water settlements as expeditiously as practicable. . (b) Conforming amendments Section 312(e)(5) of the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2010 (title III of Public Law 111–291 ) is amended— (1) by striking made available from— and inserting made available from the Reclamation Water Settlements Fund established by section 10501(a) of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 ( 43 U.S.C. 407(a) ). ; and (2) by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B).