Washington : Government Printing Office
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the purpose of this Act is to provide for the termination of Federal supervision over the trust and restricted property of certain tribes and bands of Indians located in the State of Utah and the individual members thereof, for the disposition of federally owned property acquired or withdrawn for the administration of the affairs of such Indians, and for a termination of Federal services furnished such Indians because of their status as Indians.
For the purposes of this Act—
(a) "Tribe" means any of the following tribes or bands of Indians located in the State of Utah: Shivwits, Kanosh, Koosharem, and Indian Peaks Bands of the Paiute Indian Tribe.
(b) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Interior.
(c) "Lands" means real property, interests therein, or improvements thereon, and include water rights.
(d) "Individual Indian" means any individual Indian whose name appears on the final roll prepared pursuant to section 3 of this Act.
(e) "Tribal property" means any real or personal property, including water rights, or any interest in real or personal property, that belongs to the tribe and either is held by the United States in trust for the tribe or is subject to a restriction against alienation imposed by the United States.
Each tribe shall have a period of six months from the date of this Act in which to prepare and submit to the Secretary a proposed roll of the members of the tribe living on the date of this Act, which shall be published in the Federal Register. If a tribe fails to submit such roll within the time specified in this section, the Secretary shall prepare a proposed
role for the tribe, which shall be published in the Federal Register. Any person claiming membership rights in the tribe or an interest in its assets, or a representative of the Secretary on behalf of any such person, may, within sixty days from the date of publication of the proposed roll, file an appeal with the Secretary contesting the inclusion or omission of the name of any person on or from such roll. The Secretary shall review such appeals and his decisions thereon shall be final and conclusive. After disposition of all such appeals by the Secretary, the roll of the tribe shall be published in the Federal Register, and such roll shall be final for the purposes of this Act.
Upon publication in the Federal Register of the final roll as provided in section 3 of this Act, the rights or beneficial interests in tribal property of each person whose name appears on the roll shall constitute personal property which may be inherited or bequeathed, but shall not otherwise be subject to alienation or encumbrance before the transfer of title to such tribal property as provided in section 5 of this Act without the approval of the Secretary. Any contract made in violation of this section shall be null and void.
(a) The Secretary shall, within six months after the publication of each final membership roll, notify the tribe of the period of time during which the tribe may study means of disposition of tribal property, real and personal, under supervision of the United States. Such period shall not be less than three months and not more than two years, including any authorized extension of the original periods. The Secretary is authorized to provide such reasonable assistance as may be requested by the tribe in the formulation of a plan for the disposition or future control and management of the property, including necessary consultations with representatives of Federal departments and agencies, officials of the State of Utah and political subdivisions thereof, and members of the tribe. During such period, the tribe may elect—
(1) to apply to the Secretary for the transfer to a corporation or other legal entity organized by the tribe in a form satisfactory to the Secretary of title to all or any part of the tribal property, and the Secretary is authorized to make such transfer: Provided, That the Secretary of the Interior shall not approve any form of organization that provides for the transfer of stock or an undivided share in corporate assets as compensation for services of agents or attorneys unless such transfer is based upon an appraisal of tribal assets that is satisfactory to the Secretary;
(2) to apply to the Secretary for the transfer to one or more trustees designated by the tribe of title to all or any part of the tribal property, real and personal, the title to be held by such trustee for management or liquidation purposes under terms and conditions prescribed by the tribe, and the Secretary is authorized to make such transfer if he approves the trustees and the terms and conditions of the trust;
(3) to apply to the Secretary for the sale of all or any part of the tribal property, and for the pro rata distribution among the members of the tribe of all or any part of the proceeds of sale or of any other tribal funds, and the Secretary is authorized and directed to sell such property upon such terms and conditions as he deems proper and to make such distribution among the members of the tribe after deducting, in his discretion, reasonable costs of sale and distribution; and
(4) to apply to the Secretary for a division of all or any part of the tribal land into parcels for members and for public purposes,
together with a general plan for the subdivision showing the approximate size, location, and number of parcels, and the Secretary is authorized to issue patents for that purpose.
(b) Title to any tribal property that is not transferred in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be transferred by the Secretary either to all members of the tribe as tenants in common or to one or more trustees designated by him for the liquidation and distribution of assets among the members of the tribe under such terms and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe: Provided, That the trust agreement shall provide for the termination of the trust not more than three years from the date of such transfer unless the term of the trust is extended by order of a judge of a court of record designated in the trust agreement.
(c) When approving or disapproving the selection of trustees in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, and when designating trustees pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, the Secretary shall give due regard to the laws of the State of Utah that relate to the selection of trustees: Provided further, That the trust ageement shall provide that at any time before the sale of tribal property by the trustees the tribe may notify the trustees that it elects to retain such property and to transfer title thereto to a corporation, other legal entity, or trustee in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of this section, and that the trustees shall transfer title to such property in accordance with the notice from the tribe if it is approved by the Secretary.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the Secretary is directed to reserve subsurface rights in tribal property from any sale or division of such property, and to require any trustee or trustees to whom title to tribal property is transferred to retain title to the subsurface rights in such property for not less than 10 years.
(a) The Secretary is authorized and directed to transfer within two years after the date of this Act to each member of each tribe unrestricted control of funds or other personal property held in trust for such member by the United States.
(b) All restrictions on the sale or encumbrance of trust or restricted land owned by members of the tribe (including allottees, heirs, and devisees, either adult or minor) are hereby removed two years after the date of this Act, and the patents or deeds under which titles are then held shall pass the titles in fee simple, subject to any valid encumbrance: Provided, That the provisions of this subsection shall not apply to subsurface rights in such lands, and the Secretary is directed to transfer such subsurface rights to one or more trustees designated by him for management for a period not less than 10 years. The title to all interests in trust or restricted land acquired by members of the tribe by devise or inheritance two years or more after the date of this Act shall vest in such members in fee simple, subject to any valid encumbrance.
(c) Prior to the time provided in subsection (b) of this section for the removal of restrictions on land owned by more than one member of a tribe, the Secretary may—
(1) upon request of any of the owners, partition the land and issue to each owner a patent or deed for his individual share that shall become unrestricted two years from the date of this Act;
(2) upon request of any of the owners and a finding by the Secretary that partition of all or any part of the land is not practicable, cause all or any part of the land to be sold at not less than the appraised value thereof and distribute the proceeds of sale to the owners: Provided, That any one or more of the owners may elect before a sale to purchase the other interests in the land at not less than the appraised value thereof, and the purchaser shall receive an unrestricted patent or deed to the land; and
(3) if the whereabouts of none of the owners can be ascertained, cause such lands to be sold and deposit the proceeds of sale in the Treasury of the United States for safekeeping.
(a) The Act of June 25, 1910 (36 Stat. 855), the Act of February 14, 1913 (37 Stat. 678), and other Acts amendatory thereto shall not apply to the probate of the trust and restricted property of the members of a tribe who die six months or more after the date of this Act.
(b) The laws of the several States, Territories, possessions, and the District of Columbia with respect to the probate of wills, the determination of heirs, and the administration of decedents' estates shall apply to the individual property of members of the tribe who die six months after the date of this Act.
The Secretary is authorized, in his discretion, to transfer to a tribe or any member or group of members thereof any federally owned property acquired, withdrawn, or used for the administration of the affairs of the tribe which he deems necessary for Indian use, or to transfer to a public or nonprofit body any such property which he deems necessary to public use and from which members of the tribes will derive benefit.
No property distributed under the provisions of this Act shall at the time of distribution be subject to Federal or State income tax. Following any distribution of property made under the provisions of this Act, such property and any income derived therefrom by the individual, corporation, or other legal entity shall be subject to the same taxes, State and Federal, as in the case of non-Indians: Provided, That for the purpose of capital gains or losses the base value of the property shall be the value of the property when distributed to the individual, corporation, or other legal activity.
Nothing contained in this Act shall deprive any Indian tribe, band, or other identifiable group of American Indians of any right, privilege, or benefit granted by the Indian Claims Commission Act of August 13, 1946 (ch. 959, 60 Stat. 1049), including the right to pursue claims against the United States as authorized by said Act.
Nothing in this Act shall abrogate any valid lease, permit, license, right-of-way, lien, or other contract heretofore approved. Whenever any such instrument places in or reserves to the Secretary any powers, duties, or other functions with respect to the property subject thereto, the Secretary may transfer such functions, in whole or in part, to any Federal agency with the consent of such agency and may transfer such function, in whole or in part, to a State agency with the consent of such agency and the other party or parties to such instrument.
Nothing in this Act shall abrogate any water rights of a tribe or its members.
Prior to the transfer of title to, or the removal of restrictions from, property in accordance with the provisions of this Act, the Secretary shall protect the rights of members of a tribe who are minors, non compos mentis, or in the opinion of the Secretary in need of assistance in conducting their affairs by causing the appointment of guardians in courts of competent jurisdiction, or by such other means as he may deem adequate.
Pending the completion of the property dispositions provided for in this Act, the funds now on deposit, or hereafter deposited, in the United States Treasury to the credit of the tribe shall be available for advance to the tribe, or for expenditure, for such purposes as may be designated by the governing body of the tribe and approved by the Secretary.
The Secretary shall have authority to execute such patents, deeds, assignments, releases, certificates, contracts, and other instrumens as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions
of this Act, or to establish a marketable and recordable title to any property disposed of pursuant to this Act.
The Secretary is authorized and directed to cancel any indebtedness payable to the United States by the tribe arising out of any loan made by the United States to such tribe, and any indebtedness, whether payable to the United States or to the tribe, arising out of a loan made from the proceeds thereof to an individual Indian.
(a) Upon removal of Federal restrictions on the property of each tribe and individual members thereof, the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register a proclamation declaring that the Federal trust relationship to the affairs of the tribe and its members has terminated. Thereafter individual members of the tribe shall not be entitled to any of the services performed by the United States for Indians because of their status as Indians, all statutes of the United States which affect Indians because of their status as Indians shall no longer be applicable to the members of the tribe, and the laws of the several States shall apply to the tribe and its members in the same manner as they apply to other citizens or persons within their jurisdiction.
(b) Nothing in this Act shall affect the status of the members of the tribe as citizens of the United States, or shall affect their rights, privileges, immunities, and obligations as such citizens.
(a) Effective on the date of the proclamation provided for in section 17 of this Act, the corporate charter issued pursuant to the Act of June 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 984), as amended, to the Kanosh Band of Paiute Indians of the Kanosh Reservation, Utah, and ratified by the band on August 15, 1943, and to the Shivwits Band of Paiute Indians of the Shivwits Reservation, Utah, and ratified by the band on August 30, 1941, are hereby revoked.
(b) Effective on the date of the proclamation provided for in section 17 of this Act, all powers of the Secretary or other officer of the United States to take, review, or approve any action under the constitution and bylaws of the tribe are hereby terminated. Any powers conferred upon the tribe by such constitution which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby terminated. Such termination shall not affect the power of the tribe to take any action under its constitution and bylaws that is consistent with this Act without the participation of the Secretary or other officer of the United States.
The Secretary is authorized to issue rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this Act, and may in his discretion provide for tribal referenda on matters pertaining to management or disposition of tribal assets.
All Acts or parts of Acts inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed insofar as they affect the tribe or its members. The Act of June 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 984), as amended by the Act of June 15, 1935 (49 Stat. 378), shall not apply to the tribe and its members after the date of the proclamation provided for in section 17 of this Act.
If any provision of this Act, or the application thereof, to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the Act and the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.
(a) Not later than two years after the date of this Act, the management and operation of irrigation works for Indian lands of the tribe by the Bureau of Indian Affairs shall be discontinued. Upon such discontinuance, the Secretary shall cancel the unpaid irrigation operation and maintenance assessments and reimbursable irrigation construction charges against such lands.
(b) The Secretary may transfer the title to such irrigation works to water users, water user's associations organized for such purpose, or to corporations organized, or trustees designated, as provided in section 5.
Prior to the issuance of a proclamation in accordance with the provisions of section 17 of this Act, the Secretary is authorized to undertake, within the limits of available appropriations, a special program of education and training designed to help the members of the tribe to earn a livelihood, to conduct their own affairs, and to assume their responsibilities as citizens without special services because of their status as Indians. Such program may include language training, orientation in non-Indian community customs and living standards, vocational training and related subjects, transportation to the place of training or instruction, and subsistence during the course of training or instruction. For the purposes of such program the Secretary is authorized to enter into contracts or agreements with any Federal, State, or local governmental agency, corporation, association, or person. Nothing in this section shall preclude any Federal agency from undertaking any other program for the education and training of Indians with funds appropriated to it.
Approved, September 1, 1954.
