Cocopah Lands Act - Provides that if the Cocopah Indian Tribe of Arizona transfers title to certain described land to the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary shall take it into trust for the benefit of the Tribe, if there are no recognized environmental conditions or contamination related concerns and no adverse legal claims to it, including outstanding liens, mortgages, or taxes owed.
Considers such land to be part of the Tribe's initial reservation.
Designates Yuma county, Arizona, to be the Tribe's service area for the delivery of federal services to enrolled members of the Tribe.
Prohibits its use for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H.R. 673 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 673
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to take lands in Yuma County,
Arizona, into trust as part of the reservation of the Cocopah Indian
Tribe, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 24, 2007
Mr. Grijalva introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to take lands in Yuma County,
Arizona, into trust as part of the reservation of the Cocopah Indian
Tribe, 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 ``Cocopah Lands Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The reservation of the Cocopah Indian Tribe of Arizona
is located in Yuma County, Arizona.
(2) That reservation was created by an Executive order
signed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1917.
(3) That reservation is made up of 3 noncontiguous tracts
of land.
(4) The Tribe inhabits all 3 parts of the reservation.
(5) The Tribe purchased the additional lands to provide
infrastructure to housing areas, water, and economic
development to tribal members.
(6) The current trust land base of the reservation is
insufficient to provide such needs.
(7) The Tribe acquired 7 parcels of land contiguous to its
present reservation lands in 1986, 1993, 1997, and 2005, and
these parcels are currently classified as ``Indian Lands''
under Federal law.
(8) The acquired parcels shall not be taken into trust for
gaming purposes.
(9) The best means of solving the Tribe's land and economic
needs to its tribal members is to require the Secretary to take
lands in Yuma County, Arizona, that are acquired by the Tribe
into trust for the Tribe subject to the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
For the purpose of this Act, the following definitions apply:
(1) Tribe.--The term ``Tribe'' means the Cocopah Indian
Tribe of Arizona.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
SEC. 4. LANDS TO BE TAKEN INTO TRUST.
(a) Lands To Be Taken Into Trust.--If the Tribe transfers title to
the land described in subsection (b) to the Secretary, the Secretary
shall take that land into trust for the benefit of the Tribe, if at the
time of such transfer there are no adverse legal claims to such land,
including outstanding liens, mortgages, or taxes owed.
(b) Land Described.--The land referred to in subsection (a) is
described as follows:
(1) Parcel 1 (sibley purchase 1986).--Lot 4 and the SW\1/
4\, of the NW\1/4\, of Sec. 1, T. 10 S., R. 25 W., of the Gila
and Salt River Base and Meridian, Yuma County, Arizona, except
that portion of the SW\1/4\, of the NW\1/4\, of said Sec. 1, T.
10 S., R. 25 W., lying southeasterly of the north right-of-way
line of the Bureau of Reclamation levee.
(2) Parcel 2 (sibley purchase 1986).--Lot 1 and the SE\1/
4\, of the NE\1/4\, of Sec. 2, T. 10 S., R. 25 W., of the Gila
and Salt River Base and Meridian, Yuma County, Arizona.
(3) Parcel 3 (mcdaniel purchase 1993).--That part of the
E\1/2\, of the SE\1/4\, lying south of the East Main Bureau of
Reclamation Canal right of way in Sec. 30, T. 9 S., R. 23 W.,
of the Gila and Salt River Base and Meridian, Yuma County,
Arizona.
(4) Parcel 4 (holland purchase 1997).--That portion of the
NW\1/4\, of the NE\1/4\, of Sec. 31, T. 16 S., R 22 E., of the
San Bernardino Base and Meridian, Yuma County, Arizona, lying
north of the levee and Salinity Canal; except the north 220
feet.
(5) Parcel 5 (holland purchase 1997).--An easement over the
easterly 15 feet of the north 220 feet of that portion of the
NW\1/4\, of the NE\1/4\, of Sec. 31, T. 16 S., R. 22 E., of the
San Bernardino Base and Meridian, Yuma County, Arizona, lying
north of the levee and Salinity Canal for irrigation purposes.
(6) Parcel 6 (powers purchase 1997).--Lots 21, 24, and 25,
Sec. 29, and Lots 16 and 17 and the N\1/2\, of the SW\1/4\, of
the SE\1/4\, of Sec. 30, T. 16 S., R. 22 E., of the San
Bernardino Meridian, Yuma County, Arizona, according to the
dependent resurvey of the Bureau of Land Management, accepted
December 9, 1960.
(7) Parcel 7 (speed way purchase 2005).--That portion of
the W\1/2\ of the SE\1/4 \ of Sec. 30, T. 9 S., R. 23 W., of
the Gila and Salt River Base and Meridian, Yuma County,
Arizona, lying south and east of the East Main Canal; except
the south 33 feet thereof; except one-third interest in and to
all mineral rights, as reserved in the deed recorded in Docket
1461, page 600, records of Yuma County, Arizona.
(c) Lands To Be Made Part of the Reservation.--Land taken into
trust pursuant to subsection (a) shall be considered to be part of the
Tribe's initial reservation.
(d) Service Area.--For the purposes of the delivery of Federal
services to enrolled members of the Tribe, the Tribe's service area
shall be Yuma County, Arizona.
(e) Gaming Prohibited.--Land taken into trust for the benefit of
the Tribe under this Act shall not be used for gaming under the Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act.
SEC. 5. REGULATIONS.
The Secretary may promulgate such regulations as may be necessary
to carry out this Act.
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Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Committee Hearings Held.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 110-271.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 173.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 110-271.
Mrs. Christensen asked unanimous consent discharge the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union.
Considered by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR H8825-8826; text of measure as introduced: CR H8825-8826)
Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed without objection.
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On passage Passed without objection.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
Received in the Senate.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.