H.R. 8953

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8953 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8953

To amend the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 to make 
improvements to that Act, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 8, 2024

Mr. Zinke introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 to make 
improvements to that Act, 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 ``Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement 
Amendments Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. CROW TRIBE WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENT.

(a) Definitions.--Section 403 of the Crow Tribe Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3097) is 
amended--
(1) by striking paragraph (11) and inserting the following:
``(11) MR&I project.--The term `MR&I Project' means an 
activity described in clauses (i) through (iii) of section 
411(e)(3)(F).''; and
(2) in paragraph (12)--
(A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 
``System'' and inserting ``Projects''; and
(B) in subparagraphs (A) through (C), by striking 
``System'' each place it appears and inserting 
``Projects''.
(b) Repeal of MR&I System.--
(1) In general.--Section 406 of the Crow Tribe Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3102) is 
repealed.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents for the 
Claims Resolution Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 
3064) is amended by striking the item relating to section 406.
(c) Crow Settlement Fund.--Section 411 of the Crow Tribe Water 
Rights Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3113) is 
amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``to be administered by 
the Secretary'' and inserting ``to be managed, invested, and 
distributed by the Secretary and to remain available until 
expended, withdrawn, or reverted to the general fund of the 
Treasury, consisting of amounts deposited in the Fund under 
subsection (b), together with any investment earnings, 
including interest, earned on those amounts,'';
(2) in subsections (b) and (c), by striking ``section 414'' 
each place it appears and inserting ``section 415'';
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking ``System'' and 
inserting ``Projects''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(5) The MR&I Projects Account, to be established as soon 
as practicable after the date of enactment of the Crow Tribe 
Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2024, consisting of--
``(A) amounts made available pursuant to paragraphs 
(1) and (2) of section 415(b) that are appropriated 
after the date of enactment of the Crow Tribe Water 
Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2024; and
``(B) amounts to be deposited pursuant to section 
415(h)(3)(B).'';
(4) in subsection (e)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraph (C) 
and inserting the following:
``(C) the American Indian Trust Fund Management 
Reform Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 4001 et seq.).''; and
(B) in paragraph (3)--
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
``through (E)'' and inserting ``through (F)'';
(ii) in subparagraph (C)(i), by striking 
``section 412'' and inserting ``section 413'';
(iii) in subparagraph (E)--
(I) in the subparagraph heading, by 
striking ``System'' and inserting 
``Projects''; and
(II) by striking ``System'' each 
place it appears and inserting 
``Projects''; and
(iv) by adding at the end the following:
``(F) MR&I projects account.--Funds from the MR&I 
Projects Account shall be used for expenditures by the 
Tribe for--
``(i) planning, permitting, designing, 
engineering, constructing, reconstructing, 
replacing, rehabilitating, operating, or 
repairing water production, treatment, or 
delivery infrastructure, including for domestic 
and municipal use or wastewater infrastructure;
``(ii) purchasing on-Reservation land with 
water rights; and
``(iii) complying with applicable 
environmental laws.'';
(5) in subsection (f)(2), by striking ``section 414'' and 
inserting ``section 415''; and
(6) by adding at the end the following:
``(i) Title to Infrastructure.--Title to, control over, and 
operation of any project constructed using funds from the MR&I Projects 
Account shall remain in the Tribe.
``(j) Operation, Maintenance, and Replacement.--The Federal 
Government shall have no obligation to pay for the operation, 
maintenance, or replacement of any MR&I Project.''.
(d) Crow CIP Implementation Account.--The Crow Tribe Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 2010 (31 U.S.C. 1101 note; Public Law 111-291) is 
amended--
(1) by redesignating sections 412 through 416 as sections 
413 through 417, respectively; and
(2) by inserting after section 411 the following:

``SEC. 412. CROW CIP IMPLEMENTATION ACCOUNT.

``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a nontrust, 
interest-bearing account, to be known as the `Crow CIP Implementation 
Account', to be managed and distributed by the Secretary.
``(b) Deposits.--The Secretary shall deposit in the Crow CIP 
Implementation Account--
``(1) amounts made available pursuant to paragraphs (1) and 
(2) of section 415(a) that are appropriated after the date of 
enactment of the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments 
Act of 2024; and
``(2) amounts to be deposited pursuant to section 
415(h)(3)(A).
``(c) Uses.--Amounts in the Crow CIP Implementation Account shall 
be used to carry out section 405.
``(d) Interest.--In addition to the deposits made into the Crow CIP 
Implementation Account pursuant to subsection (b), any investment 
earnings, including interest credited to amounts unexpended in the Crow 
CIP Implementation Account, shall be available for use in accordance 
with subsection (c).''.
(e) Yellowtail Dam, Montana.--Subsection (b)(1) of section 413 of 
the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 
124 Stat. 3116) (as redesignated by subsection (d)(1)) is amended by 
striking ``15 years'' and inserting ``20 years''.
(f) Funding.--Section 415 of the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement 
Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3120) (as redesignated by 
subsection (d)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subsection (e)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
``System'' and inserting ``Projects''; and
(B) by striking ``System'' and inserting 
``Projects'';
(2) in subsection (h), by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Joint signature accounts.--The Secretary shall take 
all actions necessary to authorize the withdrawal of funds, 
including principal and interest, held and maintained in joint 
signature accounts in accordance with the following:
``(A) Crow implementation account.--In the special 
joint signature account named `CIP Account' established 
pursuant to the agreement with the Tribe dated October 
19, 2011, for the purpose of transferring and 
depositing those funds in the Crow CIP Implementation 
Account established by the Secretary pursuant to 
section 412(a).
``(B) MR&I projects account.--In the special joint 
signature account named `MR&I Account' established 
pursuant to the agreement with the Tribe dated 
September 13, 2012, for the purpose of transferring and 
depositing those funds in the MR&I Projects Account 
established pursuant to section 411(c)(5).''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(j) MR&I Projects Account Fluctuations in Costs.--
``(1) Indexing adjustment.--Amounts deposited in the MR&I 
Projects Account pursuant to section 411(c)(5)(A) shall be 
increased or decreased, as appropriate, by such amounts as may 
be justified by reason of ordinary fluctuations in costs 
occurring after May 1, 2008, as indicated by the Bureau of 
Reclamation Construction Cost Index-Composite Trend.
``(2) Period of indexing.--The period of indexing 
adjustment under paragraph (1), for any increment of funding, 
shall end on the date on which the amounts are deposited in the 
MR&I Projects Account.''.
(g) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
(1) Section 403(9) of the Crow Tribe Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3098) is 
amended by striking ``(25 U.S.C. 450b)'' and inserting ``(25 
U.S.C. 5304)''.
(2) Section 409(b) of the Crow Tribe Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3108) is 
amended, in each of paragraphs (1) and (2), by striking 
``section 414'' and inserting ``section 415''.
(3) Section 410(e)(1) of the Crow Tribe Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3112) is 
amended--
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``section 
414'' and inserting ``section 415''; and
(B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``agreements 
with the Tribe required by sections 405(a) and 406(a)'' 
and inserting ``agreement with the Tribe required by 
section 405(a)''.
(4) Section 416 of the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement 
Act of 2010 (31 U.S.C. 1105 note; Public Law 111-291) (as 
redesignated by subsection (d)(1)) is amended, in each of 
paragraphs (3) and (4), by striking ``section 414'' and 
inserting ``section 415''.
(h) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for the Claims 
Resolution Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3064) is amended 
by striking the items relating to sections 407 through 416 and 
inserting the following:

``Sec. 407. Tribal water rights.
``Sec. 408. Storage allocation from Bighorn Lake.
``Sec. 409. Satisfaction of claims.
``Sec. 410. Waivers and releases of claims.
``Sec. 411. Crow Settlement Fund.
``Sec. 412. Crow CIP Implementation Account.
``Sec. 413. Yellowtail Dam, Montana.
``Sec. 414. Miscellaneous provisions.
``Sec. 415. Funding.
``Sec. 416. Repeal on failure to meet enforceability date.
``Sec. 417. Antideficiency.''.
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