1.
(a)
In this section:
(1)
Acknowledged Indian tribe
The term acknowledged
Indian tribe means an Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, or other
organized group or community that is recognized as eligible for the special
programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their
status as Indians.
(2)
The term eligible
entity means an eligible Indian group or eligible local
government.
(3)
The term eligible
Indian group means a group that—
(A)
is an acknowledged Indian
tribe or has petitioned the Secretary to be acknowledged as an Indian tribe;
and
(B)
needs financial assistance to
facilitate fair participation in a pending action, as determined by the
Secretary.
(4)
Eligible local government
The term eligible local
government means a municipality or county that needs financial
assistance to facilitate fair participation in a pending action.
(5)
The term pending
action means—
(A)
a pending action in
which—
(i)
(I)
an Indian group seeks Federal
acknowledgment; or
(II)
an Indian tribe the status of
which as a federally acknowledged Indian tribe has been terminated seeks to be
restored to federally acknowledged status;
(ii)
a federally acknowledged
Indian tribe asserts trust status with respect to land within the boundaries of
an area over which a local government exercises jurisdiction;
(iii)
a federally acknowledged
Indian tribe files a petition with the Secretary requesting that land within
the boundaries of an area over which a local government exercises jurisdiction
be taken into trust for the benefit of the Indian tribe; and
(iv)
an Indian group or a
federally acknowledged Indian tribe asserts a claim to land based on a treaty
or a law specifically applicable to transfers of land or natural resources
from, by, or on behalf of any Indian, Indian tribe, Indian group, or band of
Indians (including the Act of July 22, 1790 (1 Stat.
137, chapter 33), the Act of March 30, 1802 (2 Stat.
139, chapter 13), and the Act of June 30, 1834 (4 Stat.
729, chapter 161) (commonly known as the Trade and
Intercourse Acts
)); or
(B)
any other action or proposed
action relating to an Indian group or federally acknowledged Indian tribe if
the Secretary determines that the action or proposed action is likely to
significantly affect the citizens represented by a local government.
(6)
The term
Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
(b)
Subject to the availability
of funds, on application of an eligible entity, the Secretary shall provide a
grant to the eligible entity to assist eligible entity in participating in the
decisionmaking process relating to a pending action, if the Secretary
determines that the assistance—
(1)
is necessary to protect the
interests of the Government or eligible entity; and
(2)
would promote the interest of
just administration in the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
(c)
A grant provided under this
section to an eligible entity for any single pending action shall not exceed
$500,000 in any fiscal year.
(d)
A grant provided under this
section may be used only to pay expenses incurred after the date of enactment
of this Act.
(e)
Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $8,000,000 for each fiscal year.