[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 374 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 374

To provide compensation to the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Sioux Tribes 
of South Dakota for damage to tribal land caused by Pick-Sloan projects 
                       along the Missouri River.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 14, 2005

Mr. Thune (for himself and Mr. Johnson) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide compensation to the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Sioux Tribes 
of South Dakota for damage to tribal land caused by Pick-Sloan projects 
                       along the Missouri River.

    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 ``Tribal Parity Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin Program (authorized 
        by section 9 of the Act of December 22, 1944 (commonly known as 
        the ``Flood Control Act of 1944'') (58 Stat. 891)), was 
        approved to promote the general economic development of the 
        United States;
            (2) the Fort Randall and Big Bend dam and reservoir 
        projects in South Dakota--
                    (A) are major components of the Pick-Sloan Missouri 
                River Basin Program; and
                    (B) contribute to the national economy;
            (3) the Fort Randall and Big Bend projects inundated the 
        fertile bottom land of the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Sioux 
        Tribes, which greatly damaged the economy and cultural 
        resources of the Tribes;
            (4) Congress has provided compensation to several Indian 
        tribes, including the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Sioux Tribes, 
        that border the Missouri River and suffered injury as a result 
        of 1 or more Pick-Sloan Projects;
            (5) the compensation provided to those Indian tribes has 
        not been consistent;
            (6) Missouri River Indian tribes that suffered injury as a 
        result of 1 or more Pick-Sloan Projects should be adequately 
        compensated for those injuries, and that compensation should be 
        consistent among the Tribes; and
            (7) the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and the Crow Creek Sioux 
        Tribe, based on methodology determined appropriate by the 
        General Accounting Office, are entitled to receive additional 
        compensation for injuries described in paragraph (6), so as to 
        provide parity among compensation received by all Missouri 
        River Indian tribes.

SEC. 3. LOWER BRULE SIOUX TRIBE.

    Section 4(b) of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Infrastructure 
Development Trust Fund Act (Public Law 105-132; 111 Stat. 2565) is 
amended by striking ``$39,300,000'' and inserting ``$186,822,140''.

SEC. 4. CROW CREEK SIOUX TRIBE.

    Section 4(b) of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe Infrastructure 
Development Trust Fund Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-223; 110 Stat. 3027) 
is amended by striking ``$27,500,000'' and inserting ``$105,917,853''.
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