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Title 25 — IndiansRelease 119-73not60

§117b Distribution of Funds

Title 25 › Chapter 4— PERFORMANCE BY UNITED STATES OF OBLIGATIONS TO INDIANS › Subchapter II— DISBURSEMENT OF MONEYS AND SUPPLIES › § 117b

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Money paid out under sections 117a–117c cannot be used to pay old contracts unless the tribe’s governing body says it can. Those payments must also follow section 7 of the Act of October 19, 1973 (87 Stat. 466) [25 U.S.C. 1407]. These rules do not change the requirements of the Act of October 19, 1973 (87 Stat. 466) [25 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.] or any plan approved under that Act. A tribe may make per-person (per capita) payments under an approved plan the way section 117a allows only if it follows all the 1973 Act rules, including protecting minors and people who cannot manage their own money. All of the above, except the rule about old contracts, does not apply to the Shoshone Tribe and the Arapaho Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §117b

Indians — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Funds distributed under sections 117a to 117c of this title shall not be liable for the payment of previously contracted obligations except as may be provided by the governing body of the tribe and distributions of such funds shall be subject to the provisions of section 7 of the Act of October 19, 1973 (87 Stat. 466), as amended [25 U.S.C. 1407].
(b)Nothing in sections 117a to 117c of this title shall affect the requirements of the Act of October 19, 1973 (87 Stat. 466), as amended [25 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.], or of any plan approved thereunder, with respect to the use or distribution of funds subject to that Act: Provided, That per capita payments made pursuant to a plan approved under that Act may be made by an Indian tribe as provided in section 117a of this title if all other provisions of the 1973 Act are met, including but not limited to, the protection of the interests of minors and incompetents in such funds.
(c)Nothing in sections 117a to 117c of this title, except the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, shall apply to the Shoshone Tribe and the Arapahoe 11 So in original. Probably should be “Arapaho”. Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Act of October 19, 1973, referred to in subsec. (b), is Pub. L. 93–134, Oct. 19, 1973, 87 Stat. 466, known as the Indian Tribal Judgment Funds Use or Distribution Act, which is classified generally to chapter 16 (§ 1401 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 1401(c) of this title and Tables.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 117b

Title 25 — Indians

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60