PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

At a tribe's request and under a funding agreement, the Secretary must give the tribe the money needed to run the agreed programs. A tribe can choose to get one advance annual payment. The amount must match what the tribe would have gotten under the normal contracts and grants in this chapter, including program costs and related funds. Funds for trust services to individual Indians are available only if the tribe provides the same services the Secretary would have provided. Funding can be for multiple years. If a funding agreement calls for transfers at the start of a fiscal year, then, not later than 1 year after October 21, 2020, the first transfer must be made within 10 days after OMB apportionment unless the agreement says otherwise. If a tribe uses federal staff or supplies, the Secretary must transfer those resources as soon as practical. The Secretary must not withhold or spread out a tribe’s full share or cut funds to pay for Secretary monitoring or federal functions. Reductions in later years are allowed only for these reasons: a drop in appropriations from the prior year, a congressional directive, a tribal authorization, a change in pass-through funds, or completion of an activity. The Prompt Payment Act applies to these transfers. Tribes may keep interest earned, must use a prudent investment standard, and the funds stay available until spent. If a tribe finds funds are too low, it must tell the Secretary and may stop the activity if no extra money is provided. The Office of Self-Governance normally distributes these funds. Section 101(a) of the PROGRESS for Indian Tribes Act applies to these paragraphs.

Title 25, §5368

Indians, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

At the request of the governing body of an Indian Tribe and under the terms of an applicable funding agreement, the Secretary shall provide funding to the Indian Tribe to carry out the funding agreement.

(b)Advance annual payment

At the option of the Indian Tribe, a funding agreement shall provide for an advance annual payment to an Indian Tribe.

(c)Amount

(1)In general

Subject to subsection (e) and section 5363 and 5365 of this title, the Secretary shall provide funds to the Indian Tribe under a funding agreement for programs in an amount that is equal to the amount that the Indian Tribe would have been entitled to receive under contracts and grants under this chapter (including amounts for direct program and contract support costs and, in addition, any funds that are specifically or functionally related to the provision by the Secretary of services and benefits to the Indian Tribe or its members) without regard to the organization level within the Department at which the programs are carried out.

(2)Savings clause

Nothing in this section reduces programs, services, or funds of, or provided to, another Indian Tribe.

(d)Timing

(1)In general

Pursuant to the terms of any compact or funding agreement entered into under this subchapter, the Secretary shall transfer to the Indian Tribe all funds provided for in the funding agreement, pursuant to subsection (c), and provide funding for periods covered by joint resolution adopted by Congress making continuing appropriations, to the extent permitted by such resolution.

(2)Transfers

Not later than 1 year after October 21, 2020, in any instance in which a funding agreement requires an annual transfer of funding to be made at the beginning of a fiscal year or requires semiannual or other periodic transfers of funding to be made commencing at the beginning of a fiscal year, the first such transfer shall be made not later than 10 days after the apportionment of such funds by the Office of Management and Budget to the Department, unless the funding agreement provides otherwise.

(e)Availability

Funds for trust services to individual Indians shall be available under a funding agreement only to the extent that the same services that would have been provided by the Secretary are provided to individual Indians by the Indian Tribe.

(f)Multiyear funding

A funding agreement may provide for multiyear funding.

(g)Limitations on authority of the Secretary

The Secretary shall not—

(1)fail to transfer to an Indian Tribe its full share of any central, headquarters, regional, area, or service unit office or other funds due under this subchapter for programs eligible under paragraph (1) or (2) of section 5363(b) of this title, except as required by Federal law;

(2)withhold any portion of such funds for transfer over a period of years; or

(3)reduce the amount of funds required under this subchapter—

(A)to make funding available for self-governance monitoring or administration by the Secretary;

(B)in subsequent years, except as necessary as a result of—

(i)a reduction in appropriations from the previous fiscal year for the program to be included in a compact or funding agreement;

(ii)a congressional directive in legislation or an accompanying report;

(iii)a Tribal authorization;

(iv)a change in the amount of pass-through funds subject to the terms of the funding agreement; or

(v)completion of an activity under a program for which the funds were provided;

(C)to pay for Federal functions, including—

(i)Federal pay costs;

(ii)Federal employee retirement benefits;

(iii)automated data processing;

(iv)technical assistance; and

(v)monitoring of activities under this subchapter; or

(D)to pay for costs of Federal personnel displaced by self-determination contracts under this chapter or self-governance under this subchapter.

(h)Federal resources

If an Indian Tribe elects to carry out a compact or funding agreement with the use of Federal personnel, Federal supplies (including supplies available from Federal warehouse facilities), Federal supply sources (including lodging, airline transportation, and other means of transportation, including the use of interagency motor pool vehicles), or other Federal resources (including supplies, services, and resources available to the Secretary under any procurement contracts in which the Department is eligible to participate), the Secretary shall, as soon as practicable, acquire and transfer such personnel, supplies, or resources to the Indian Tribe under this subchapter.

(i)Prompt Payment Act

Chapter 39 of title 31 shall apply to the transfer of funds due under a compact or funding agreement authorized under this subchapter.

(j)Interest or other income

(1)In general

An Indian Tribe may retain interest or income earned on any funds paid under a compact or funding agreement to carry out governmental purposes.

(2)No effect on other amounts

The retention of interest or income under paragraph (1) shall not diminish the amount of funds an Indian Tribe is entitled to receive under a funding agreement in the year the interest or income is earned or in any subsequent fiscal year.

(3)Investment standard

Funds transferred under this subchapter shall be managed by the Indian Tribe using the prudent investment standard, provided that the Secretary shall not be liable for any investment losses of funds managed by the Indian Tribe that are not otherwise guaranteed or insured by the Federal Government.

(k)Carryover of funds

(1)In general

Notwithstanding any provision of an appropriations Act, all funds paid to an Indian Tribe in accordance with a compact or funding agreement shall remain available until expended.

(2)Effect of carryover

If an Indian Tribe elects to carry over funding from one year to the next, the carryover shall not diminish the amount of funds the Indian Tribe is entitled to receive under a funding agreement in that fiscal year or any subsequent fiscal year.

(l)Limitation of costs

(1)In general

An Indian Tribe shall not be obligated to continue performance that requires an expenditure of funds in excess of the amount of funds transferred under a compact or funding agreement.

(2)Notice of insufficiency

If at any time the Indian Tribe has reason to believe that the total amount provided for a specific activity under a compact or funding agreement is insufficient, the Indian Tribe shall provide reasonable notice of such insufficiency to the Secretary.

(3)Suspension of performance

If, after notice under paragraph (2), the Secretary does not increase the amount of funds transferred under the funding agreement, the Indian Tribe may suspend performance of the activity until such time as additional funds are transferred.

(4)Savings clause

Nothing in this section reduces any programs, services, or funds of, or provided to, another Indian Tribe.

(m)Distribution of funds

The Office of Self-Governance shall be responsible for distribution of all Bureau of Indian Affairs funds provided under this subchapter unless otherwise agreed by the parties to an applicable funding agreement.

(n)Applicability

Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, section 101(a) of the PROGRESS for Indian Tribes Act applies to subsections (a) through (m).

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (c)(1) and (g)(3)(D), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 93–638, Jan. 4, 1975, 88 Stat. 2203, known as the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 5301 of this title and Tables. section 101(a) of the PROGRESS for Indian Tribes Act, referred to in subsec. (n), is section 101(a) of Pub. L. 116–180, which is set out as a note under section 5361 of this title.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 5368, Pub. L. 93–638, title IV, § 408, as added Pub. L. 103–413, title II, § 204, Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4278, authorized appropriations, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 116–180, title I, § 101(e), Oct. 21, 2020, 134 Stat. 864, 872. See section 5377 of this title. Such section was formerly classified to section 458hh of this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as section 5368.

§5368 Payment

Summary

Title 25, §5368

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Short Title

Prior Provisions

Citations & Metadata