An act to provide for the use and distribution of funds awarded to the Blackfeet and Gros Ventre Tribes of Indians and the Assiniboine Tribe of Fort Belknap Indian Community, in certain dockets of the United States Court of Claims and of funds awarded to the Papago Tribe of Arizona in dockets numbered 345 and 102 of the Indian Claims Commission, and for other purposes.
PL 97-408 (S.1986), enacted 01/03/1983

PUBLIC LAW 97-408—JAN. 3, 1983 
96 STAT. 2035 
Public Law 97-408 
97th Congress 
An Act 
To provide for the use and distribution of funds awarded to the Blackfeet and Gros 
•Ventre Tribes of Indians and the Assiniboine Tribe of Fort Belknap Indian 
Community, in certain dockets of the United States Court of Claims and of funds 
awarded to the Papago Tribe of Arizona in dockets numbered 345 and 102 of the 
Indian Claims Commission, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled. That, notwithstand-
ing any other provision of law, the funds appropriated in accordance 
with section 1302 of the Supplemental Appropriation Act (31 U.S.C. 
724a), on January 23,1981, in satisfaction of a judgment awarded to 
the Blackfeet and Gros Ventre Tribes of Indians and the Assiniboine 
Tribe of the Fort Belknap Indian Community in dockets numbered 
250-A and 279-C of the United States Court of Claims; on July 16, 
1981, in satisfaction of a judgment awarded to the Gros Ventre Tribe 
of Fort Belknap Indian Community in docket numbered 309-74 of 
the United States Court of Claims; and 26.8 per centum of the funds 
appropriated on June 30, 1981, in satisfaction of a judgment 
awarded to the Blackfeet and Gros Ventre Tribes in docket num-
bered 649-80L of the United States Court of Claims, less attorney 
fees and litigation expenses, but including all accrued interest and 
investment income, shall be distributed and used as herein provided. 
SEC. 2. The funds appropriated to the Blackfeet Tribe of the 
Blackfeet Reservation, Montana, in docket numbered 279-C, in an 
original amount of $400,000, shall be held in trust and invested by 
the Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter "Secretary") for the bene-
fit of the members of the Blackfeet Tribe. The governing body of 
such tribe is authorized to utilize such funds on a budgetary basis, 
subject to approval of the Secretary, for governmental operations 
and social and economic programs. 
SEC. 3. The funds appropriated to the Assiniboine Tribe of the Fort 
Belknap Indian Community, Montana, in docket numbered 250-A, 
in the original amount of $2,170,013 shall be used and distributed as 
follows: Provided, That no person shall be eligible to share in more 
than one award in his own right: 
(a) Eighty per centum of such funds shall be distributed in the 
form of per capita payments (in sums as equal as possible) to all 
persons duly enrolled as Assiniboine members of the Fort 
Belknap Indian Community and born on or prior to, and living 
on, the date of enactment of this Act. 
(b) Twenty per centum of such funds shall be held in trust and 
invested by the Secretary for the benefit of the members of the 
Assiniboine Tribe of the Fort Belknap Indian Community. The 
treaty committee of such tribe is authorized to utilize such 
funds on a budgetary basis, subject to approval of the Secretary, 
for social and economic programs. Such programs may include, 
but are not limited to, land acquisitions and the development of 
local reservation projects. 
Jan. 3, 1983 
[S. 1986] 
Indizms. 
Judgment funds, 
distribution to 
certain tribes. 
Blackfeet Tribe 
of Montana. 
Assiniboine 
Tribe of the Fort 
Belknap Indian 
Community, 
Montana. 
97-200 O-84-pt. 2 
22 : QL3 
96 STAT. 2036 
PUBLIC LAW 97-408—JAN. 3, 1983 
Gros Ventre 
Tribe of the Fort 
Belknap Indian 
Clommunity, 
Montana. 
•^l 
Per capita 
payments. 
Tax exemption. 
Papago Tribe of 
Arizona. 
SEC. 4. The funds appropriated to the Gros Ventre Tribe of the 
Fort Belknap Indian Community, Montana, in docket numbered 
279-C, in the original amount of $2,094,987; in docket numbered 
309-74, in the original amount of $77,780.13; and in docket num-
bered 649-80L, in the initial amount of 26.8 per centum of 
$29,404,951.94, shall be used and distributed as follows: Provided^ 
That no person shall be eligible to share in more than one award in 
his own right: 
(a) Eighty per centum of such funds shall be distributed in the 
form of per capita payments (in sums as equal as possible) to all 
persons born on or prior to, and living on, the date of enactment 
of this Act who are (1) duly enrolled members of the Gros 
Ventre Tribe of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation who 
possess at least one-quarter degree Gros Ventre blood or (2) who 
are enrolled in the Fort Belknap Indian Community and who 
are at least one-fourth degree Gros Ventre and Assiniboine 
blood, but not less than one-eighth degree Gros Ventre blood, 
and are not eligible to share under section 3 of this Act. 
0)) Twenty per centum of such funds shall be held in trust and 
invested by the Secretary for the benefit of the members of the 
Gros Ventre Tribe of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. The 
treaty committee of such tribe is authorized to utilize such 
funds on a budgetary beisis, subject to approval of the Secretary, 
for social and economic programs. Such programs may include, 
but are not limited to, land acquisition and the development of 
local reservation projects. 
(c) Nothing in this section is deemed in anyway to increase, 
diminish, or in an3rway affect the right of the Gros Ventre Tribe 
to determine its membership. 
SEC. 5. The per capita shares of living competent adults shall be 
paid directly to them. Per capita shares of deceased individual 
beneficiaries shall be determined and distributed pursuant to regu-
lations prescribed by the Secretary. Per capita shares of individuals 
under eighteen shall be paid m accordance with such proce-
dures, including the establishment of trusts, as the Secretary deter-
mines to be necessary to protect and preserve the interests of such 
individuals. 
SEC. 6. None of the funds distributed per capita or held in trust 
under provisions of this Act shall be subject to Federal or State 
income taxes, and the per capita payments shsdl not be considered 
as income or resources when determining the extent of eligibility for 
assistance under the Social Security Act or other Federal assistance 
programs. 
SEC. 7. The Secretary is authorized to prescribe rules and regula-
tions to carry out the provisions of this Act, including the establish-
ment of deadlines for filing applications for enrollment. 
SEC. 8. (a) Notwithstanding any other law, the funds appropriated 
by the Act of September 30, 1976 (90 Stat. 1416), in satisfaction of a 
judgment awarded to the Papago Tribe of Arizona in dockets num-
bered 345 and 102 of the Indian Claims Commission, less attorney 
fees and litigation expenses, but including all accrued interest or 
investment income, shall be used and distributed as provided in this 
Act. 
(b) Fifty per centum of such funds shall be held in trust by the 
Secretary for the benefit of the Papago Tribe and shall be adminis-
tered or invested by the Secretary for the best interest of the tribe 
under existing law. Such funds shall be held and used as follows: 
PUBLIC LAW 97-408—JAN. 3, 1983 
96 STAT. 2037 
(1) All interest or investment income accruing to said funds 
shall be available, at the request of the tribe on a quarterly 
basis, for use by the Papago Tribal Council on an annual 
budgetary basis for expenditures of the tribal government, and 
for health, education, and social services, capital improvements 
and economic development programs of the tribe and of the 
district and communities of the tribe's reservation. Any interest 
or investment income accrued during the year and remaining 
J 
available at the end of the tribe's fiscal year shall, at the 
request of the tribe, be added to the principal amount. 
(2) A portion of such funds, principal and accrued interest or 
investment income, but not in the aggregate a sum in excess of 
20 per centum of the initial principal amount, shall be available 
upon the request to the tribe for capital improvement or major 
economic development activities of benefit to the tribe as a 
whole pursuant to a plan or plans developed by the Papago 
Tribal Council and approved by the Secretary. 
(3) Sufficient funds from the principal amount of such funds 
shall be available to the Secretary to insure that the per capita 
distribution of $1,000 to each enroUee is completed as provided 
in subsection (c) to the extent that there are not sufficient funds 
in the amount set aside for per capita distribution to make such 
pajnnent. 
(c) Fifty per centum of such funds shall be held and administered 
by the Secretary for per capita distribution and such sums, together 
with any accrued interest or investment income, shall be distributed 
and used as follows: 
(1) The membership roll of the tribe shall be brought current 
to the date of enactment of this Act pursuant to the criteria 
specified in the tribal constitution and the provisions of the 
Papago Enrollment Ordinance, ordinance numbered 5-81, and 
the Papago Enrollment Manual, or other ordinances and regu-
lations adopted by the Papago Tribal Council and approved by 
the Secretary: Provided, That no application for membership on 
the roll may be filed or received by the tribe for purposes of per 
capita pa3mients under this section one hundred and eighty 
days after the date of enactment of this Act. 
(2) Sufficient funds shall be made available to the tribe on an 
annual budgetary basis from interest and investment income 
accruing to such funds to assist the tribe to bring the member-
ship roll current as provided in paragraph (1) of the subsection. 
(3) Per capita distributions shall be made, in shares as equal 
as possible, to all members of the Papago Tribe who were born 
on or prior to, and living on, the date of enactment of this Act, 
as follows: 
(i) Persons whose applications for membership on the roll 
have been duly approved by the Papago Tribal Council on 
the date of enactment of this Act shall be paid the sum of 
$1,000 within forty-five days after the date of certification 
by the Secretary of their eligibility to share in funds under 
this subsection. 
(ii) Persons whose applications for membership on the 
roll have not been duly approved by the Papago Tribal 
Council on the date of enactment of this Act shall be paid 
the sum of $1,000 within ninety days after their member-
ship has been approved by the Papago Tribal CoimcU and 
jvSrK. 
Membership 
roll. 
Per capita 
pajrments. 
96 STAT. 2038 
PUBLIC LAW 97-408—JAN. 3, 1983 
their eligibility to share in funds under this subsection has 
been certified by the Secretary. 
(iii) Upon completion of the membership roll and of all 
appeals from adverse determinations on applications for 
membership, and upon the expiration of the time allowed 
for such appeals, any remaining amount, after the pay-
ments provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection and in 
subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph, shall be distrib-
uted, in sums as equal as possible, to all enrolled members 
of the Papago Tribe. 
(iv) The per capita shares of living competent adults shall 
be paid directly to them. Per capita shares of deceased 
beneficiaries, legal incompetents, and minors shall be deter-
mined and distributed pursuant to regulations prescribed 
by the Secretary. 
(v) Any amount remaining after the per capita distribu-
tions to enroUees provided in subparagraph (iii) of this 
paragraph shall revert to the tribe and shall be added to the 
principsd fund held and administered by the Secretary 
pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. 
Tax exemption. 
(d) None of the funds distributed per capita or held in trust under 
the provisions of this section shall be subject to Federal or State 
income taxes, and the per capita payments shall not be considered 
as income or resources when determining the extent of eligibility for 
assistance under the Social Security Act or other Federal assistance 
programs. 
Approved January 3, 1983. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 1986: 
HOUSE REPORT No. 97-935 (Comm. on Interior and Insular Affairs). 
SENATE REPORT No. 97-492 (Comm. on Indian Affairs). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 128 (1982): 
Aug. 19, considered and passed Senate. 
Dec. 6, considered and passed House, amended. 
Dec. 16, Senate agreed to House amendments with an amendment. 
Dec. 17, House agreed to Senate amendment.