U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 607. Divestment of inheritance of non-members

(a) Procedure

A person who is not an enrolled member of the Yakima Tribes with one-fourth degree or more blood of such tribes shall not be entitled to receive by devise or inheritance any interest in trust or restricted land within the Yakima Reservation or within the area ceded by the Treaty of June 9, 1855 (12 Stat. 1951), if, while the decedent’s estate is pending before the Examiner of Inheritance, the Yakima Tribes pay to the Secretary of the Interior, on behalf of such person, the fair market value of such interest as determined by the Secretary of the Interior after appraisal. The interest for which payment is made shall be held by the Secretary in Trust for the Yakima Tribes.

(b) Time of election

On request of the Yakima Tribes the Examiner of Inheritance shall keep an estate pending for not less than two years from the date of decedent’s death.

When a person who is prohibited by subsection (a) of this section from acquiring any interest by devise or inheritance is a surviving spouse of the decedent, a life estate in one-half of the interest acquired by the Yakima Tribes shall, on the request of such spouse, be reserved for that spouse and the value of such life estate so reserved shall be reflected in the Secretary’s appraisal under subsection (a) of this section.

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