§ 1300i-5. Election of settlement options

(a) Notice of settlement options

(1) Within sixty days after the publication of the Settlement Roll as provided in section 1300i–4 (d) of this title, the Secretary shall give notice by certified mail to each person eighteen years or older on such roll of their right to elect one of the settlement options provided in this section.

(2) The notice shall be provided in easily understood language, but shall be as comprehensive as possible and shall provide an objective assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the options offered. The notice shall also provide information about the counseling services which will be made available to inform individuals about the respective rights and benefits associated with each option presented under this section. It shall also clarify that on election the Lump Sum Payment option requires the completion of a sworn affidavit certifying that the individual has been provided with complete information about the effects of such an election.

(3) With respect to minors on the Settlement Roll the notice shall state that minors shall be deemed to have elected the option of subsection (c) of this section, except that if the parent or guardian furnishes proof satisfactory to the Secretary that a minor is an enrolled member of a tribe that prohibits members from enrolling in other tribes, the parent or guardian shall make the election for such minor. A minor subject to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section shall, notwithstanding any other law, be deemed to be a child of a member of an Indian tribe regardless of the option elected pursuant to this subchapter by the minor’s parent. With respect to minors on the Settlement Roll whose parent or guardian is not also on the roll, notice shall be given to the parent or guardian of such minor. The funds to which such minors are entitled shall be held in trust by the Secretary until the minor reaches age 18. The Secretary shall notify and provide payment to such person including all interest accrued.

(4)

(A) The notice shall also establish the date by which time the election of an option under this section must be made. The Secretary shall establish that date as the date which is one hundred and twenty days after the date of the publication in the Federal Register as required by section 1300i–4 (d) of this title.

(B) Any person on the Settlement Roll who has not made an election by the date established pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be deemed to have elected the option provided in subsection (c) of this section.

(b) Hoopa tribal membership option

(1) Any person on the Settlement Roll, eighteen years or older, who can meet any of the enrollment criteria of the Hoopa Valley Tribe set out in the decision of the United States Court of Claims in its March 31, 1982, decision in the Short case (No. 102–63) as “Schedule A”, “Schedule B”, or “Schedule C” and who—

(A) maintained a residence on the Hoopa Valley Reservation on October 31, 1988;

(B) had maintained a residence on the Hoopa Valley Reservation at any time within the five year period prior to October 31, 1988; or

may elect to be, and, upon such election, shall be entitled to be, enrolled as a full member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe.

(2) Notwithstanding any provision of the constitution, ordinances or resolutions of the Hoopa Valley Tribe to the contrary, the Secretary shall cause any entitled person electing to be enrolled as a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe to be so enrolled and such person shall thereafter be entitled to the same rights, benefits, and privileges as any other member of such tribe.

(3) The Secretary shall determine the quantum of “Indian blood” or “Hoopa Indian blood”, if any, of each person enrolled in the Hoopa Valley Tribe under this subsection pursuant to the criteria established in the March 31, 1982, decision of the United States Court of Claims in the case of Jesse Short et al. v. United States, (Cl. Ct. No. 102–63).

(1) Any person on the Settlement Roll may elect to become a member of the Yurok Tribe and shall be entitled to participate in the organization of such tribe as provided in section 1300i–8 of this title.

(2) All persons making an election under this subsection shall form the base roll of the Yurok Tribe for purposes of organization pursuant to section 1300i–8 of this title and the Secretary shall determine the quantum of “Indian blood” if any pursuant to the criteria established in the March 31, 1982, decision of the United States Court of Claims in the case of Jesse Short et al. v. United States, (Cl. Ct. No. 102–63).

(3) The Secretary, subject to the provisions of section 1407 of this title, shall pay to each person making an election under this subsection, $5,000 out of the Settlement Fund for those persons who are, on the date established pursuant to subsection (a)(4) of this section, below the age of 50 years, and $7,500 out of the Settlement Fund for those persons who are, on that date, age 50 or older.

(4) Any person making an election under this subsection shall no longer have any right or interest whatsoever in the tribal, communal, or unallotted land, property, resources, or rights within, or appertaining to, the Hoopa Valley Reservation or the Hoopa Valley Tribe or, except to the extent authorized by paragraph (3), in the Settlement Fund. Any such person shall also be deemed to have granted to members of the Interim Council established under section 1300i–8 of this title an irrevocable proxy directing them to approve a proposed resolution waiving any claim the Yurok Tribe may have against the United States arising out of the provisions of this subchapter, and granting tribal consent as provided in section 1300i–8 (d)(2) of this title.

(d) Lump sum payment option

(1) Any person on the Settlement Roll may elect to receive a lump sum payment from the Settlement Fund and the Secretary shall pay to each such person the amount of $15,000 out of the Settlement Fund: Provided, That such individual completes a sworn affidavit certifying that he or she has been afforded the opportunity to participate in counseling which the Secretary, in consultation with the Hoopa Tribal Council or Yurok Transition Team, shall provide. Such counseling shall provide a comprehensive explanation of the effects of such election on the individual making such election, and on the tribal enrollment rights of that persons children and descendants who would otherwise be eligible for membership in either the Hoopa or Yurok Tribe.

(2) The option to elect a lump sum payment under this section is provided solely as a mechanism to resolve the complex litigation and other special circumstances of the Hoopa Valley Reservation and the tribes of the reservation, and shall not be construed or treated as a precedent for any future legislation.

(3) Any person making an election to receive, and having received, a lump sum payment under this subsection shall not thereafter have any interest or right whatsoever in the tribal, communal, or unallotted land, property, resources, or rights within, or appertaining to, the Hoopa Valley Reservation, the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the Yurok Reservation, or the Yurok Tribe or, except authorized by paragraph (1), in the Settlement Fund.

U.S. Code

§ 1300i-5. Election of settlement options