Mississippi Sioux Tribes Judgment Fund Distribution Act of 1998
Became Public Law No: 105-387.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 36 · Passed House amended · Oct 10, 1998
Mississippi Sioux Tribes Judgment Fund Distribution Act of 1998 - Provides for the distribution of certain funds to the Sisseton and Wahpeton Tribes of Sioux Indians to pay a judgment in favor of those tribes. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer a specified aggregate amount to be credited to accounts established in a Fund Account for the benefit of the applicable governing bodies of the : (1) Spirit Lake Tribe of North Dakota; (2) Sisseton and Wahpeton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota; and (3) Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana. Designates the Sisseton and Wahpeton Sioux Council of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes as the tribal governing body of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation for purposes of making such distributions. (Sec. 5) Prohibits funds allocated for a covered Indian tribe from being used to make per capita payments to tribe members. Allows funds allocated to be used, administered, and managed by a tribal governing body only for the purpose of making investments or expenditures that the tribal governing body determines to be reasonably related to: (1) economic development; (2) tribal resources development; (3) the development of beneficial tribal programs, including educational and social welfare programs; (4) any existing obligation or debt arising out of any such activities; and (5) specified attorneys' fees. (Sec. 6) Sets forth provisions concerning the effect of payments to a covered Indian tribe or an individual on eligibility for, or the reduction or denial of, Federal benefits. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary to distribute a specified amount to the lineal descendants of the Sisseton and Wahpeton Tribes of Sioux Indians. Requires ancestral verification of such descendants. (Sec. 8) Sets forth procedural requirements for civil actions brought by or on behalf of a lineal descendant or any group or combination thereof to challenge the constitutionality or validity of such distributions.
Source last updated: Jun 20, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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