119-s240

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 240 Reported in Senate

    (RS) ]

<DOC>

 Calendar No. 260
119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 240

 [Report No. 119-93]

 To amend the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 to make 
 improvements to that Act, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 January 24, 2025

Mr. Daines (for himself and Mr. Sheehy) introduced the following bill; 
 which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs

 November 4, 2025

 Reported by Ms. Murkowski, without amendment

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 to make 
 improvements to that Act, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement 
Amendments Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. CROW TRIBE WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENT.

    (a) 

=== Definitions. ===
-

Section 403 of the Crow Tribe Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3097) is 
amended--

    (1) by striking paragraph

    (11) and inserting the following:
 ``

    (11) MR&I project.--The term `MR&I Project' means an 
 activity described in clauses
            (i) through
            (iii) of 

section 411

    (e)

    (3)
        (F) .''; and

    (2) in paragraph

    (12) --
        (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 
 ``System'' and inserting ``Projects''; and
        (B) in subparagraphs
        (A) through
            (C) , by striking 
 ``System'' each place it appears and inserting 
 ``Projects''.

    (b) Repeal of MR&I System.--

    (1) In general.--

Section 406 of the Crow Tribe Water Rights 
 Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3102) is 
 repealed.

    (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents for the 
 Claims Resolution Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 
 3064) is amended by striking the item relating to 

section 406.
            (c) Crow Settlement Fund.--

Section 411 of the Crow Tribe Water 
Rights Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3113) is 
amended--

    (1) in subsection

    (a) , by striking ``to be administered by 
 the Secretary'' and inserting ``to be managed, invested, and 
 distributed by the Secretary and to remain available until 
 expended, withdrawn, or reverted to the general fund of the 
 Treasury, consisting of amounts deposited in the Fund under 
 subsection

    (b) , together with any investment earnings, 
 including interest, earned on those amounts,'';

    (2) in subsections

    (b) and
            (c) , by striking ``

section 414'' 
 each place it appears and inserting ``

section 415'';

    (3) in subsection
            (c) --
        (A) in paragraph

    (3) , by striking ``System'' and 
 inserting ``Projects''; and
        (B) by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (5) The MR&I Projects Account, to be established as soon 
 as practicable after the date of enactment of the Crow Tribe 
 Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025, consisting of--
 ``
        (A) amounts made available pursuant to paragraphs

    (1) and

    (2) of 

section 415

    (b) that are appropriated 
 after the date of enactment of the Crow Tribe Water 
 Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025; and
 ``
        (B) amounts to be deposited pursuant to 

section 415

    (h)

    (2) .'';

    (4) in subsection

    (e) --
        (A) in paragraph

    (2) , by striking subparagraph
            (C) and inserting the following:
 ``
            (C) the American Indian Trust Fund Management 
 Reform Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 4001 et seq.).''; and
        (B) in paragraph

    (3) --
            (i) in subparagraph
        (A) , by striking 
 ``through
        (E) '' and inserting ``through
        (F) '';
            (ii) in subparagraph
            (C) 
            (i) , by striking 
 ``

section 412'' and inserting ``

section 413'';
            (iii) in subparagraph
        (E) --
            (I) in the subparagraph heading, by 
 striking ``System'' and inserting 
 ``Projects''; and
            (II) by striking ``System'' each 
 place it appears and inserting 
 ``Projects''; and
            (iv) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
        (F) MR&I projects account.--Funds from the MR&I 
 Projects Account shall be used for expenditures by the 
 Tribe in accordance with the following:
 ``
            (i) Priority use of funds.--The Tribe 
 shall use funds from the MR&I Projects 
 Account--
 ``
            (I) to plan, permit, design, 
 engineer, construct, reconstruct, 
 replace, rehabilitate, operate, or 
 repair water production, treatment, or 
 delivery infrastructure, including for 
 domestic and municipal use or 
 wastewater infrastructure; and
 ``
            (II) to comply with applicable 
 environmental laws for the activities 
 described in subclause
            (I) .
 ``
            (ii) Other use of funds.--After providing 
 written notice to the Secretary that on-
 Reservation MR&I projects described in clause
            (i) are complete, the Tribe may use funds 
 remaining in the MR&I Projects Account to 
 purchase on-Reservation land with water 
 rights.'';

    (5) in subsection

    (f)

    (2) , by striking ``

section 414'' and 
 inserting ``

section 415''; and

    (6) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
            (i) Title to Infrastructure.--Title to, control over, and 
operation of any project constructed using funds from the MR&I Projects 
Account shall remain in the Tribe.
 ``

    (j) Operation, Maintenance, and Replacement.--The Federal 
Government shall have no obligation to pay for the operation, 
maintenance, or replacement of any MR&I Project.''.
            (d) Crow CIP Implementation Account.--The Crow Tribe Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 2010 (31 U.S.C. 1101 note; Public Law 111-291) is 
amended--

    (1) by redesignating sections 412 through 416 as sections 
 413 through 417, respectively; and

    (2) by inserting after 

section 411 the following:

``

SEC. 412. CROW CIP IMPLEMENTATION ACCOUNT.

 ``

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a nontrust, 
interest-bearing account, to be known as the `Crow CIP Implementation 
Account', to be managed and distributed by the Secretary.
 ``

    (b) Deposits.--The Secretary shall deposit in the Crow CIP 
Implementation Account--
 ``

    (1) amounts made available pursuant to paragraphs

    (1) and

    (2) of 

section 415

    (a) that are appropriated after the date of 
 enactment of the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments 
 Act of 2025; and
 ``

    (2) amounts to be deposited pursuant to 

section 415

    (h)

    (1) .
 ``
            (c) Uses.--Amounts in the Crow CIP Implementation Account shall 
be used to carry out 

section 405.
 ``
            (d) Interest.--In addition to the deposits made into the Crow CIP 
Implementation Account pursuant to subsection

    (b) , any investment 
earnings, including interest credited to amounts unexpended in the Crow 
CIP Implementation Account, shall be available for use in accordance 
with subsection
            (c) .''.

    (e) Yellowtail Dam, Montana.--Subsection

    (b)

    (1) of 

section 413 of 
the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 
124 Stat. 3116) (as redesignated by subsection
            (d) (1) ) is amended by 
striking ``15 years'' and inserting ``20 years''.

    (f) Funding.--

Section 415 of the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement 
Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3120) (as redesignated by 
subsection
            (d) (1) ) is amended--

    (1) in subsection

    (e) --
        (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
 ``System'' and inserting ``Projects''; and
        (B) by striking ``System'' and inserting 
 ``Projects'';

    (2) by striking subsection

    (h) and inserting the following:
 ``

    (h) Joint Signature Accounts.--The Secretary shall take all 
actions necessary to authorize the withdrawal of funds, including 
principal and interest, held and maintained in joint signature accounts 
in accordance with the following:
 ``

    (1) Crow cip implementation account.--In the special 
 joint signature account named `CIP Account' established 
 pursuant to the agreement with the Tribe dated October 19, 
 2011, for the purpose of transferring and depositing those 
 funds in the Crow CIP Implementation Account established under 
 

section 412

    (a) .
 ``

    (2) MR&I projects account.--In the special joint 
 signature account named `MR&I Account' established pursuant to 
 the agreement with the Tribe dated September 13, 2012, for the 
 purpose of transferring and depositing those funds in the MR&I 
 Projects Account established pursuant to 

section 411
            (c) (5) .''; 
 and

    (3) by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (j) MR&I Projects Account Fluctuations in Costs.--
 ``

    (1) Indexing adjustment.--Amounts deposited in the MR&I 
 Projects Account pursuant to 

section 411
            (c) (5)
        (A) shall be 
 increased or decreased, as appropriate, by such amounts as may 
 be justified by reason of ordinary fluctuations in costs 
 occurring after May 1, 2008, as indicated by the Bureau of 
 Reclamation Construction Cost Index-Composite Trend.
 ``

    (2) Period of indexing.--The period of indexing 
 adjustment under paragraph

    (1) , for any increment of funding, 
 shall end on the date on which the amounts are deposited in the 
 MR&I Projects Account.''.

    (g) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--

    (1) Section 403

    (9) of the Crow Tribe Water Rights 
 Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3098) is 
 amended by striking ``(25 U.S.C. 450b)'' and inserting ``(25 
 U.S.C. 5304)''.

    (2) Section 409

    (b) of the Crow Tribe Water Rights 
 Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3108) is 
 amended, in each of paragraphs

    (1) and

    (2) , by striking 
 ``

section 414'' and inserting ``

section 415''.

    (3) Section 410

    (e)

    (1) of the Crow Tribe Water Rights 
 Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3112) is 
 amended--
        (A) in subparagraph
        (B) , by striking ``

section 414'' and inserting ``

section 415''; and
        (B) in subparagraph
            (C) , by striking ``agreements 
 with the Tribe required by sections 405

    (a) and 406

    (a) '' 
 and inserting ``agreement with the Tribe required by 
 

section 405

    (a) ''.

    (4) Section 416 of the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement 
 Act of 2010 (31 U.S.C. 1105 note; Public Law 111-291) (as 
 redesignated by subsection
            (d) (1) ) is amended, in each of 
 paragraphs

    (3) and

    (4) , by striking ``

section 414'' and 
 inserting ``

section 415''.

    (h) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for the Claims 
Resolution Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291; 124 Stat. 3064) is amended 
by striking the items relating to sections 407 through 416 and 
inserting the following:

``

Sec. 407. Tribal water rights.
``

Sec. 408. Storage allocation from Bighorn Lake.
``

Sec. 409. Satisfaction of claims.
``

Sec. 410. Waivers and releases of claims.
``

Sec. 411. Crow Settlement Fund.
``

Sec. 412. Crow CIP Implementation Account.
``

Sec. 413. Yellowtail Dam, Montana.
``

Sec. 414. Miscellaneous provisions.
``

Sec. 415. Funding.
``

Sec. 416. Repeal on failure to meet enforceability date.
``

Sec. 417. Antideficiency.''.
 Calendar No. 260

119th CONGRESS

 1st Session

 S. 240

 [Report No. 119-93]

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 to make 
 improvements to that Act, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 November 4, 2025

 Reported without amendment