Washington : Government Printing Office
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| Chap. 463 | Sioux Indians. Settlement contracts. |
| Sec. 2 | Contract provisions. |
| Sec. 2 | Oil and gas rights. |
| Sec. 2 | 453 |
| Sec. 3 | Judicial determination. |
| Sec. 4 | Appraisal schedule. |
| Sec. 6 | Approval of Congress. |
| Sec. 6 | Reports. |
| Sec. 7 | Fort Randall Dam. |
| Sec. 8 | Appropriation. Relocation of Yankton Sioux Tribe. 454 |
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army, and the Secretary of the Interior, jointly representing the United States of America are hereby authorized and directed to negotiate separate contracts containing the provisions outlined in this Act with the Sioux Indians of the Lower Brule Reservation, South Dakota, and with the Sioux Indians of the Crow Creek Reservation, South Dakota, acting through representatives of each tribe appointed for such purpose by its tribal council.
The contract with each tribe negotiated pursuant to section 1 of this Act shall—
(a) convey to the United States title to all tribal, allotted, assigned, and inherited lands or interests therein belonging to the Indians of the tribe, and title to all undivided interests in such allotted or inherited lands owned by non-Indians or by Indian nonmembers of the tribe, required by the United States for the reservoir to be created by the construction of the dams across the Missouri River in South Dakota, to be known as Fort Randall Dam, including such lands along the margins as may be required by the Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army, for the protection, development, and use of said reservoir: Provided, That the contract may provide for retention by the owners of any oil and gas rights in such lands that are not needed by the United States for the protection of such dam and reservoir;
(b) provide for the payment of—
(1) just compensation for the lands and improvements and interests therein conveyed by the contract;
(2) costs of relocating the tribe and its members who reside upon the lands conveyed by the contract in a manner that will
reestablish and protect their economic, social, religious, and community life;
(3) costs of relocating Indian cemeteries, tribal monuments, and shrines located upon the lands conveyed by the contract.
(c) Provide a schedule of dates for the orderly removal of the Indians and their personal property from the taking area of the Fort Randall Reservoir within the reservation; and
(d) State that the payments authorized to be made shall be in full and complete settlement of all claims by the tribe and its members against the United States arising because of the construction of the Fort Randall project.
The just compensation payable for the individual property of any person conveyed pursuant to subsection (a) of section 2 of this Act shall be judicially determined, if such person rejects the compensation specified in the contract with the tribe, in proceedings instituted for such purpose by the Department of the Army in the United States district court for the district in which the lands are situated.
To assist the negotiators in arriving at the amount of just compensation payable for the property conveyed pursuant to subsection (a) of section 2 of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior and the Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army, shall cause to be prepared an appraisal schedule on an individual tract basis of the tribal, allotted, and assigned lands, including heirship interests therein, located within the taking area in each reservation. The appraisal schedule shall show the fair market value of the lands, giving full and proper weight to the following elements of appraisal, among others: Improvements, severance damage, standing timber, mineral rights, and the uses to which the lands are reasonably adapted. The appraisal schedule shall be transmitted to the representatives of the tribe appointed to negotiate a contract, and shall be used, together with any other appraisals which may be available, as a basis for determining the amount of just compensation to be included in the contract.
The specification in section 2 of this Act of certain provisions to be included in each contract shall not preclude the inclusion of other provisions beneficial to the Indians who are parties of such contracts.
Each contract negotiated pursuant to this Act shall be submitted to the Congress for approval. The Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army, and the Secretary of the Interior are requested to submit such contract within one year from the date of approval of this Act. If the negotiating parties are unable to agree on a proposed contract each party shall submit to the Congress separate detailed reports of the negotiations, together with their recommendations. In the event the negotiating parties are unable to agree on any provision in the proposed contracts such provision shall be included in an appendix to the contract, together with the views of each party, for consideration and determination by Congress. The contract shall not take effect unless, after determination of any disputed provision, it is ratified by Act of Congress and is ratified within six months after such action by the Congress by a majority of the adult members of the tribe: Provided, That when so ratified the contract shall constitute a taking by the United States as of the date the contract was signed by the Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army, and the Secretary of the Interior, for purposes of determining the ownership of the Indian tribal, allotted, and assigned lands and interests therein.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to restrict completion of the Fort Randall Dam to provide flood protection and other benefits on the Missouri River.
There is hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior the sum of $106,500, which shall be available until expended for the purpose of relocating the members of the Yankton Sioux Tribe, South Dakota, who reside or have resided, on tribal and allotted lands acquired by the United States for the Fort Randall Dam and Reservoir project, Missouri River Development, in a manner that will reestablish and protect their economic, social, religious, and community life. Title to any lands acquired within Indian country pursuant to this section shall be taken in the name of the United States in trust for the Yankton Sioux Tribe or members thereof. The said sum of $106,500 shall be assessed against the costs of the Fort Randall Dam and Reservoir, Missouri River Development.
Approved, July 6, 1954.
