Title 25, IndiansRelease 119-110

§1402 Plan for Use or Distribution of Funds

Title 25 › CHAPTER 16 — DISTRIBUTION OF JUDGMENT FUNDS › § 1402

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior must write and send Congress a plan within one year after money is set aside to pay a judgment to an Indian tribe. The plan must name today’s beneficiaries, show how the money would be split if more than one group should get shares, and explain how the funds would be used and given out. The Secretary must also give a copy of the plan to each tribe or group affected. If the money was set aside before January 12, 1983 but no plan or law exists, the Secretary had to send plans within one year of January 12, 1983. If a plan cannot be made, or if tribes do not agree to a split within 180 days after appropriation (or 180 days of January 12, 1983), the Secretary must send proposed legislation and a report to Congress. The one-year deadline can be extended up to 180 days if requested by the Secretary or an affected tribe and approved by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the United States House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §1402

Indians, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Preparation and submission to Congress by Secretary of the Interior; contents; copy to affected Indian tribe
Within one year after appropriation of funds to pay a judgment of the Indian Claims Commission or the United States Court of Federal Claims to any Indian tribe, the Secretary of the Interior shall prepare and submit to Congress a plan for the use and distribution of the funds. Such plan shall include identification of the present-day beneficiaries, a formula for the division of the funds among two or more beneficiary entities if such is warranted, and a proposal for the use and distribution of the funds. The Secretary shall simultaneously submit a copy of such plan to each affected tribe or group.
(b)Time for preparation and submission of plan
With respect to judgments, for which funds have been appropriated prior to January 12, 1983, but for which use or distribution has not been authorized by enactment of legislation or by an effective plan under this chapter, the Secretary shall prepare and submit such plans within one year of January 12, 1983.
(c)Submission of proposed legislation and report to Congress
In any case where the Secretary determines that the circumstances do not permit the preparation and submission of a plan as provided in this chapter, he shall submit to the Congress within the one-year period proposed legislation to authorize use or distribution of such funds, together with a report thereon.
(d)Submission of proposed legislation and report to Congress in absence of consent of tribal governments to division of judgment funds between two or more beneficiary entities
In cases where the Secretary has to submit a plan dividing judgment funds between two or more beneficiary entities, he shall obtain the consent of the tribal governments involved to the proposed division. If the Secretary cannot obtain such consent within one hundred and eighty days after appropriation of the funds for the award or within one hundred and eighty days of January 12, 1983, he shall submit proposed legislation to the Congress as provided in subsection (c).
(e)Extension of time for preparation and submission of plan
An extension of the one-year period, not to exceed one hundred and eighty days, may be requested by the Secretary or by the affected Indian tribe, submitting such request to the committees through the Secretary, and any such request will be subject to the approval of both the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the United States House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Indian Claims Commission, referred to in subsec. (a), terminated Sept. 30, 1978. See Codification note set out under former section 70 et seq. of this title. Codification In subsec. (a), “United States Claims Court” [now United States Court of Federal Claims] substituted for “Court of Claims” pursuant to section 160(a)(1) of Pub. L. 97–164, as the probable intent of Congress, notwithstanding later amendment by section 1 of Pub. L. 97–458, which made reference to Court of Claims.

Amendments

1994—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 103–437 substituted “Committee on Indian” for “Select Committee on Indian” and “Natural Resources” for “Interior and Insular Affairs”. 1992—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–572 substituted “United States Court of Federal Claims” for “United States Claims Court”. 1983—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 97–458 substituted “one year” for “one hundred and eighty days”; inserted provision for contents of the plan; inserted provision for submission of copy of the plan to each affected tribe or group, incorporating part of former subsec. (c); struck out proviso prescribing Oct. 19, 1973, as the commencing date with respect to judgments for which funds were appropriated and for which legislation authorizing use or distribution was not enacted prior to Oct. 19, 1973; and struck out second sentence respecting submission of proposed legislation and report to Congress, incorporated in subsec. (c). See Codification note above. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 97–458 added subsec. (b). Former subsec. (b) redesignated (e). Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 97–458 redesignated second sentence of subsec. (a) as subsec. (c) and substituted “he shall submit to the Congress within the one-year period proposed legislation to authorize use or distribution of such funds, together with a report thereon” for “he shall submit, within such one hundred and eighty-day period, proposed legislation as provided in section 1405(b) of this title”. Former subsec. (c) respecting notification of affected Indian tribe on the date of submission of the plan covered in part in subsec. (a) as to provision for a copy of the plan. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 97–458 added subsec. (d). Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 97–458 redesignated subsec. (b) as (e); increased time allowed for submission of plans to one year from a one hundred and eighty-day period and additional time allowed for such submissions to one hundred and eighty from ninety days; and substituted the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs for the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs as the Senate committee approving any extensions. 1982—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 97–164 substituted “United States Claims Court” for “Court of Claims”. See Codification note above.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1992 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 102–572 effective Oct. 29, 1992, see section 911 of Pub. L. 102–572, set out as a note under section 171 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

Effective Date

of 1982 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 97–164 effective Oct. 1, 1982, see section 402 of Pub. L. 97–164, set out as a note under section 171 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 1402

Title 25, Indians

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110