[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1272 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.1272

                      One Hundred Twelfth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
            the third day of January, two thousand and twelve


                                 An Act


 
  To provide for the use and distribution of the funds awarded to the 
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, et al., by the United States Court of Federal 
      Claims in Docket Numbers 19 and 188, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Judgment 
Fund Distribution Act of 2012''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
    Congress finds the following:
        (1) On January 22, 1948, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, 
    representing all Chippewa bands in Minnesota except the Red Lake 
    Band, filed a claim before the Indian Claims Commission in Docket 
    No. 19 for an accounting of all funds received and expended 
    pursuant to the Act of January 14, 1889, 25 Stat. 642, and 
    amendatory acts (hereinafter referred to as the Nelson Act).
        (2) On August 2, 1951, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, 
    representing all Chippewa bands in Minnesota except the Red Lake 
    Band, filed a number of claims before the Indian Claims Commission 
    in Docket No. 188 for an accounting of the Government's obligation 
    to each of the member bands of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe under 
    various statutes and treaties that are not covered by the Nelson 
    Act of January 14, 1889.
        (3) On May 17, 1999, a Joint Motion for Findings in Aid of 
    Settlement of the claims in Docket No. 19 and 188 was filed before 
    the Court.
        (4) The terms of the settlement were approved by the Court and 
    the final judgment was entered on May 26, 1999.
        (5) On June 22, 1999, $20,000,000 was transferred to the 
    Department of the Interior and deposited into a trust fund account 
    established for the beneficiaries of the funds awarded in Docket 
    No. 19 and 188.
        (6) Pursuant to the Indian Tribal Judgment Funds Use or 
    Distribution Act (25 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.), Congress must act to 
    authorize the use or distribution of the judgment funds.
        (7) On October 1, 2009, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribal Executive 
    Committee passed Resolution 146-09, approving a plan to distribute 
    the judgment funds and requesting that the United States Congress 
    act to distribute the judgment funds in the manner described by the 
    plan.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
    For the purpose of this Act:
        (1) Available funds.--The term ``available funds'' means the 
    funds awarded to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and interest earned 
    and received on those funds, less the funds used for payments 
    authorized under section 4.
        (2) Bands.--The term ``Bands'' means the Bois Forte Band, Fond 
    du Lac Band, Grand Portage Band, Leech Lake Band, Mille Lacs Band, 
    and White Earth Band.
        (3) Judgment funds.--The term ``judgment funds'' means the 
    funds awarded on May 26, 1999, to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe by 
    the Court of Federal Claims in Docket No. 19 and 188.
        (4) Minnesota chippewa tribe.--The term ``Minnesota Chippewa 
    Tribe'' means the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota, composed of 
    the Bois Forte Band, Fond du Lac Band, Grand Portage Band, Leech 
    Lake Band, Mille Lacs Band, and White Earth Band. It does not 
    include Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Minnesota.
        (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
    the Interior.
SEC. 4. LOAN REIMBURSEMENTS TO MINNESOTA CHIPPEWA TRIBE.
    (a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to reimburse the 
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe the amount of funds, plus interest earned to 
the date of reimbursement, that the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe 
contributed for payment of attorneys' fees and litigation expenses 
associated with the litigation of Docket No. 19 and 188 before the U.S. 
Court of Federal Claims and the distribution of judgment funds.
    (b) Claims.--The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe's claim for reimbursement 
of funds expended shall be--
        (1) presented to the Secretary not later than 90 days after the 
    date of enactment of this Act;
        (2) certified by the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe as being 
    unreimbursed to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe from other funding 
    sources;
        (3) paid with interest calculated at the rate of 6.0 percent 
    per annum, simple interest, from the date the funds were expended 
    to the date the funds are reimbursed to the Minnesota Chippewa 
    Tribe; and
        (4) paid from the judgment funds prior to the division of the 
    funds under section 5.
SEC. 5. DIVISION OF JUDGMENT FUNDS.
    (a) Membership Rolls.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe shall submit to the 
Secretary updated membership rolls for each Band, which shall include 
all enrolled members the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (b) Divisions.--After all funds have been reimbursed under section 
4, and the membership rolls have been updated under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall--
        (1) set aside for each Band a portion of the available judgment 
    funds equivalent to $300 for each member enrolled within each Band; 
    and
        (2) after the funds are set aside in accordance with paragraph 
    (1), divide 100 percent of the remaining funds into equal shares 
    for each Band.
    (c) Separate Accounts.--The Secretary shall--
        (1) deposit all funds described in subsection (b)(1) into a 
    ``Per Capita'' account for each Band; and
        (2) deposit all funds described in subsection (b)(2) into an 
    ``Equal Shares'' account for each Band.
    (d) Withdrawal of Funds.--After the Secretary deposits the 
available funds into the accounts described in subsection (c), a Band 
may withdraw all or part of the monies in its account.
    (e) Disbursement of Per Capita Payments.--All funds described in 
subsection (b)(1) shall be used by each Band only for the purposes of 
distributing one $300 payment to each individual member of the Band. 
Each Band may--
        (1) distribute the $300 payment to the parents or legal 
    guardians on behalf of each dependent Band member instead of 
    distributing such $300 payment to the dependent Band member; or
        (2) deposit into a trust account the $300 payment to each 
    dependent Band member for the benefit of such dependent Band 
    member, to be distributed under the terms of such trust.
    (f) Distribution of Unclaimed Payments.--One year after the funds 
described in subsection (b)(1) are made available to the Bands, all 
unclaimed payments described in subsection (e) shall be returned to the 
Secretary, who shall divide these funds into equal shares for each 
Band, and deposit the divided shares into the accounts described in 
subsection (c)(2) for the use of each Band.
    (g) Liability.--If a Band exercises the right to withdraw monies 
from its accounts, the Secretary shall not retain liability for the 
expenditure or investment of the monies after each withdrawal.
SEC. 6. GENERAL PROVISIONS.
    (a) Previous Obligations.--Funds disbursed under this Act shall not 
be liable for the payment of previously contracted obligations of any 
recipient as provided in Public Law 98-64 (25 U.S.C. 117b(a)).
    (b) Indian Judgment Funds Distribution Act.--All funds distributed 
under this Act are subject to the provisions in the Indian Judgment 
Funds Distribution Act (25 U.S.C. 1407).

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.