[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 194 (Thursday, December 7, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S18250-S18251]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    MAKING CERTAIN TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS IN LAWS RELATING TO NATIVE 
                               AMERICANS

  Mr. HELMS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on Indian Affairs be discharged from further consideration of 
S. 1431 and further that the Senate proceed to its immediate 
consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report.

       A bill (S. 1431) to make certain technical corrections in 
     laws relating to Native Americans, and for other purposes.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the bill?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I rise to urge the Senate to pass S. 
1431, a noncontroversial, no-cost bill whose sole purpose is to extend 
statutory deadlines for completing two Indian water rights settlements 
previously enacted and funded by the Congress. The authorizations for 
the Yavapai-Prescott and San Carlos Apache Water Rights settlements are 
set to expire on December 31, 1995.
  This bill's two sections are identical to two of the 22 provisions in 
S. 325, which the Senate passed by unanimous consent on October 31, 
1995. Because it appeared doubtful that the House and Senate could 
complete action on S. 325 by the end of the year, I introduced this 
separate bill on November 28, 1995, when it was referred to the 
Committee on Indian Affairs. I believe it is necessary to pass these 
two time-sensitive provisions as separate legislation so that the House 
can act before the end of this session.
  Section 1 of S. 1431 would extend by 6 months the deadline for 
completing the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement 
Act of 1994. Under the original Act, the Secretary of the Interior is 
required to publish in the Federal Register by December 31, 1995, a 
statement of findings that includes a finding that contracts for the 
assignment of Central Arizona Project water have been executed. Due to 
several unforeseen developments, the Department of the Interior, the 
Yavapai-Prescott Tribe, the City of Prescott and the City of Scottsdale 
have concluded that additional time is necessary to finalize agreements 
and publish the Secretary's findings in the Federal Register. 
Accordingly, the amendment extends the deadline for completion of the 
settlement to June 30, 1996.
  Section 2 of the bill amends the San Carlos Apache Tribe Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 1992 to extend by one year the deadline for the 
settlement parties to complete all actions needed to effect the 
settlement, in particular to conclude agreements between the San Carlos 
Apache Tribe and the Phelps-Dodge Corporation, and between the Tribe 
and the Town of Globe. This amendment would extend the deadline for 
settlement to December 

[[Page S 18251]]
31, 1996. The Department of the Interior, the San Carlos Apache Tribe 
and the other settlement parties all support this extension.
  Madam President, it is extremely important for Congress to provide 
additional time to complete these historic settlements. The San Carlos 
Apache and Yavapai-Prescott agreements are the product of years of 
painstaking negotiation and effort by many parties. No one, and 
especially not the United States, would benefit from a lapse in the 
statutory authority for completing these settlements. Without the time 
extensions contained in S. 1431, the many fruits of these collective 
efforts could be lost. We simply cannot permit that to happen. I urge 
passage of the bill.
  Mr. HELMS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
deemed read the third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid 
upon the table and that any statements relating to the bill be placed 
at the appropriate place in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  So the bill (S. 1431) was deemed read the third time, and passed, as 
follows:

                                S. 1431

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

     SECTION. 1. YAVAPAI-PRESCOTT INDIAN TRIBE WATER RIGHTS 
                   SETTLEMENT ACT OF 1994.

       Section 112(b) of the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe Water 
     Rights Settlement Act of 1994 (108 Stat. 4532) is amended by 
     striking ``December 31, 1995'' and inserting ``June 30, 
     1996''.

     SEC. 2. SAN CARLOS APACHE TRIBE WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENT ACT 
                   OF 1992.

       Section 3711(b)(1) of the San Carlos Apache Tribe Water 
     Rights Settlement Act of 1992 (title XXXVII of Public Law 
     102-575) is amended by striking ``December 31, 1995'' and 
     inserting ``December 31, 1996''.

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