HR 5984 · 114th Congress 2015–2017, ended

Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians Water Rights Settlement Act

Fact sheet

Latest action · Nov 14, 2016 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 644.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedSep 9, 2016
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians Water Rights Settlement Act

(Sec. 4) This bill authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Pechanga Settlement Agreement, entered into by the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians, the Rancho California Water District (RCWD), and the United States, except to the extent that the agreement is modified by or conflicts with this bill.

(Sec. 5) The bill confirms water rights that must be held in trust by the United States on behalf of the tribe and its allottees. (Allottees are individuals who hold a beneficial real property interest in an Indian allotment that is located within the reservation and held in trust by the United States.) Allotted land is entitled to a just and equitable allocation of water from the water rights for irrigation and domestic purposes.

Allottees may lease their land together with any water right.

The tribe must enact a Pechanga Water Code that governs the storage, recovery, and use of the water rights, subject to the Department of the Interior's approval. Interior must administer the water rights until the water code is enacted and approved.

(Sec. 7) The tribe and the United States (acting as trustee for the tribe and allottees) must waive all claims to water rights within the Santa Margarita River Watershed, except water rights recognized in the Pechanga Settlement Agreement and this bill.

The tribe and the United States (acting as trustee for the tribe) waive specified claims against the RCWD.

The tribe may waive claims against the United States regarding specified water rights and damages.

The waivers in this bill are enforceable on the date Interior publishes specified findings regarding deposits, waivers, and approved agreements.

(Sec. 8) Interior must provide the amounts necessary to fulfill the tribe's obligations under specified agreements regarding water infrastructure.

(Sec. 9) The bill establishes the Pechanga Settlement Fund. The fund is to be used to carry out this bill.

(Sec. 12) If Interior does not publish the findings required for enforcement of the waivers in this bill by April 30, 2021, or an alternative later date agreed to by the tribe and Interior, the provisions of this bill expire, related agreements are void, and funds are rescinded.

Cosponsors 3

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Sep 9, 2016 to Sep 26, 2016, with 1 there on the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
R-CADuncan HunterOriginalSep 9, 2016
D-CAGrace F. NapolitanoSep 26, 2016
D-CANorma J. TorresSep 26, 2016

Actions 5

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Nov 14, 2016Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 644.
  2. Nov 14, 2016Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 114-821.
  3. Sep 22, 2016Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  4. Sep 9, 2016Introduced in House
  5. Sep 9, 2016Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Related bills 3

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 612WIIN ActRelated billDec 16, 2016
S 1983Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians Water Rights Settlement ActRelated billFeb 3, 2016
S 2848Water Resources Development Act of 2016Related billSep 19, 2016

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Native Americans.

Text 2

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Nov 14, 2016Reported in House
  2. Sep 9, 2016Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.