Land-In-Trust Schools and Local Governments Equitable Compensation Act

Land-In-Trust Schools and Local Governments Equitable Compensation Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to attempt to negotiate an agreement among a local educational agency (LEA) or local government, the Secretary, the state, and, if appropriate, a federally recognized Indian tribe or individual Indian under which the parties agree that payments representing property tax revenues lost as a result of the Secretary's taking land into trust for such tribe or Indian shall be: (1) waived in whole or in part; (2) limited for an agreed upon number of years; or (3) otherwise adjusted, including the timing of such payments.

Directs the Secretary to pay each LEA or local government for each fiscal year for which such an agreement is not in effect amounts necessary to ensure that the LEA or local government receives full payment for the amount of property tax revenues lost as a result of lands being held in trust by the Secretary for the benefit of a federally recognized Indian tribe or an individual Indian.

Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer the amounts necessary for such payments directly to the Secretary from the Treasury's general fund without further appropriation.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1851 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1851

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into agreements to 
 compensate local educational agencies and units of local governments 
for tax revenues lost when the Federal Government takes land into trust 
for the benefit of a federally recognized Indian tribe or an individual 
                                Indian.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 11, 2011

  Mr. Owens introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into agreements to 
 compensate local educational agencies and units of local governments 
for tax revenues lost when the Federal Government takes land into trust 
for the benefit of a federally recognized Indian tribe or an individual 
                                Indian.

    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 ``Land-In-Trust Schools and Local 
Governments Equitable Compensation Act''.

SEC. 2. PAYMENTS FOR CERTAIN LAND HELD IN TRUST.

    (a) Agreement.--As soon as practicable after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this section 
as the ``Secretary'') shall attempt to negotiate an agreement among the 
applicable local education agency or unit of local government, the 
Secretary, the appropriate State, and, if appropriate, any federally 
recognized Indian tribe or individual Indian, under which all parties 
agree that the amounts described in subsection (b) shall be--
            (1) waived in whole or in part;
            (2) limited for an agreed upon number of years; or
            (3) otherwise adjusted, including adjusting the timing of 
        any payments.
    (b) Transfer of Amounts.--If an agreement is not entered into under 
subsection (a), for the first fiscal year beginning after the date of 
enactment of this Act and each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary of 
the Treasury shall transfer directly to the Secretary of Interior from 
the general fund of the Treasury, without further appropriation, such 
amounts as are necessary, after taking into account any other amounts 
appropriated to make payments under this subsection, to make payments 
from the Secretary to the applicable local educational agency or unit 
of local government in an amount necessary to ensure that the local 
educational agency or unit of local government receives full payment 
for the amount of property tax revenues lost as a result of land under 
the jurisdiction of the local educational agency or unit of local 
government being held in trust by the United States for the benefit of 
a federally recognized Indian tribe or an individual Indian, to be 
calculated in a manner that provides that the taxes (otherwise payable 
but for the status of the land being held in trust) shall be assessed 
and paid annually at the same rate as the taxes would be assessed and 
paid if not in trust.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act shall apply to all land taken into trust by the United 
States for the benefit of a federally recognized Indian tribe or an 
individual Indian on or after October 1, 2008.
                                 <all>