Northern Cheyenne Indian Reserved Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992
Public Law 102-374 · S. 1607 · 102nd Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George H. W. Bush (R) on Sep 30, 1992 · Native Americans
Sponsor: Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT)
Cosponsors (2): Sen. Max Baucus, Sen. John McCain
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reserved Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992 - Ratifies the Water Rights Compact entered into on June 11, 1991, by the Northern Cheyenne Tribe (Tribe) and Montana.
Directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to administer and enforce the Tribal water right until adoption and approval of a Tribal water code.
Authorizes the Tribe or its authorized representatives, under specified conditions and subject to the Secretary's approval, to enter into a service contract, lease, exchange, or other agreement providing for the delivery, use, or transfer of the water right confirmed to it in the Compact.
Establishes in the Treasury the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reserved Water Rights Settlement Trust Fund (Fund). Directs the Tribe to loan $11,500,000 from the Fund to Montana (subject to specified Project contributions by Montana) for the Tongue River Dam Project (Project). Authorizes appropriations for: (1) tribal funds; and (2) the Project.
States that it is the intent of the Congress that nothing in this Act shall: (1) alter the trust responsibility of the United States to the Tribe; or (2) prohibit it from seeking additional authorization or appropriation of funds for Tribal programs and purposes.
Directs the Secretary to identify and develop features of the Project that provide for the enhancement of fish and wildlife habitats. Authorizes Fund appropriations for: (1) fish and wildlife enhancement; (2) environmental compliance; and (3) operations.
Directs the Secretary to allocate, subject to any prior reserved water rights, specified acre-feet per year of stored water in Big Horn Reservoir, Yellowtail Unit, Lower Bighorn Division, Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, Montana, for use or disposition by the Tribe.
Declares that the Tribe shall not be required to make payments to the United States for the portion of the tribal water right stored in Yellowtail Reservoir unless it uses or sells the water. Specifies the schedule of such payments.
Directs the Tribe to set rates for its use or sale of stored water, and to retain all revenues from such use or sale.
Retains in the United States the right to use any and all water stored in the Big Horn Reservoir for hydropower generation.
Requires the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Tribe providing for: (1) the Tribe's use or sale of water stored in the Big Horn Reservoir, under specified conditions; and (2) the collection and disposition of revenues in connection with water stored in it that is made available to the Tribe.
Establishes: (1) a ten-year moratorium on tribal water marketing unless the Tribe and the Crow Tribe agree otherwise; and (2) limitations on water marketing by the Secretary.
Directs the Secretary to enter into a cooperative agreement with Montana for planning, design, and construction of the Tongue River Dam Project. Retains ownership of such dam in Montana.
Expresses the intent of the Congress that nothing in this Act shall subject to the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 any holders of State water contracts from the Tongue River Reservoir who do not have a contract for Federal reclamation storage.
Directs the Bureau of Land Management to transfer specified Federal lands in Montana to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in trust for the Tribe. States that this transfer shall not be construed as creating a Federal reserve water right.
Designates as lead agency: (1) the Bureau of Reclamation with respect to the Tongue River Dam Project and uses of the Tribe's Big Horn Reservoir storage allocation; and (2) the Bureau of Indian Affairs with regard to environmental compliance.
States that the Congress finds that the allocation of water resources to the Tribe under this Act is uniquely suited to the geographic, social, and economic characteristics of the situation, and shall not be construed as a precedent for other Indian water right claims.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Indian Affairs Committee · Senate · hearings by (full committee), markup by, referred to, reported by
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.
- Sep 30, 1992Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 102-374.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Sep 25, 1992PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Sep 22, 1992FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Williams moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 16, 1992CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Natural Resources Committee
- Aug 10, 1992CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- Aug 7, 1992FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Jul 29, 1992CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Jun 16, 1992CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Nov 15, 1991CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Aug 1, 1991CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Jul 31, 1991IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.