[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2820 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2820

 To provide for the ownership and operation of the irrigation works on 
the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community's reservation in Maricopa 
   County, Arizona, by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 9, 1999

  Mr. Hayworth (for himself and Mr. Pastor) introduced the following 
         bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the ownership and operation of the irrigation works on 
the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community's reservation in Maricopa 
   County, Arizona, by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds and declares that--
            (1) it is the policy of the United States, in fulfillment 
        of its trust responsibility to Indian tribes, to promote Indian 
        self-determination and economic self-sufficiency;
            (2) meaningful Indian self-determination and economic self-
        sufficiency largely depend on development of viable Indian 
        reservation economies;
            (3) the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community 
        (hereinafter referred to as the ``Community'') has defined and 
        settled water rights;
            (4) the Community operates under the Tribal Self-Governance 
        Act;
            (5) the irrigation works within the Community and their 
        operation are funded through the sale of delivered water to 
        water users within the Community, not by annual appropriations 
        of the Congress;
            (6) the Community has operated the irrigation works within 
        the Community since the inclusion of the works in the 
        Community's Self-Governance Compact Annual Funding Agreement 
        with fair and wise management of such works, and is clearly 
        capable of fully managing the operation of these irrigation 
        works; and
            (7) it is appropriate that the United States transfer to 
        the Community any remaining authority and responsibility that 
        the United States may have for the irrigation works to--
                    (A) advance the goals of Federal Indian policy;
                    (B) fulfill the trust responsibility of the United 
                States to the Community;
                    (C) promote Indian self-determination, economic 
                self-sufficiency, and self-governance;
                    (D) enable the Community in its development of a 
                diverse, efficient reservation economy; and
                    (E) enable the Community to better serve the water 
                needs of the water users within the Community.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to authorize and direct 
the Secretary of the Interior to transfer to the Community any 
remaining authority and responsibility held by the Secretary for the 
Community irrigations works.

SEC. 2. OPERATION OF IRRIGATION WORKS BY THE SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA 
              INDIAN COMMUNITY.

    (a) In General.--Beginning on the effective date of this Act, the 
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community shall have full operating 
authority over the irrigation works within the Community to deliver 
water of the Community to the lands of the Community. The Community 
shall operate such irrigation works under uniform laws and regulations 
so as to assure fairness in the delivery of water to water users. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the 
Interior shall take such action as may be necessary to ensure and 
facilitate the Community having full operating authority over said 
irrigation works.
    (b) Trust Responsibility Not Diminished.--The trust responsibility 
of the United States to the allotted landowners of land within the 
boundaries of the reservation of the Community shall not be diminished 
by this Act.
                                 <all>