Gila River Indian Community Judgment Fund Distribution Act of 2003
Public Law 108-22 · S. 162 · 108th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on May 14, 2003 · Native Americans
Sponsor: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
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.
Gila River Indian Community Judgment Fund Distribution Act of 2003 - Title I: Gila River Judgment Fund Distribution - (Sec. 101) Requires the per capita distribution of funds paid in settlement of claims made in Docket Nos. 236-C and 236-D, Gila River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community v. United States, to enrolled members of the Gila River Indian Community (Arizona).
Requires the Community to prepare a payment role according to specified criteria. Defines eligible and ineligible recipients.
Requires the Gila River Indian Community to provide to the Secretary of the Interior: (1) a notice that indicates the total number of eligible recipients; and (2) enrollment information necessary to allow the Secretary to establish estate accounts for deceased recipients and Individual Indian Money accounts for legally incompetent individuals and minors.
Directs the Secretary to disburse funds within 30 days after Community approval of the payment roll. Makes special provision for deceased or legally incompetent individuals and minors.
Permits payments of eligible individuals not on the roll out of residual funds and Community-owned funds, as specified.
Requires that any judgment funds remaining after distribution, any share remaining unclaimed for six years, or any unpayable share be deposited in the general fund of the Community.
Title II: Conditions Relating To Community Judgment Fund Plans - (Sec. 201) Directs the Community to modify the judgment funds distribution plans in Docket No. 228 of the U.S. Claims Court and Docket No. 236-N of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to require the Secretary to: (1) hold the per capital shares of minors in trust until they attain age 18; (2) not disburse judgment funds or interest earned until a minor attains age 18; and (3) distribute to the Community and deposit in its general fund, upon Community request, any residual principal and interest funds remaining after the Community has declared the per capita payments have been completed.
Title III: Expert Assistance Loans - (Sec. 301) Cancels the balance of all outstanding expert assistance loans to the Gila River Indian Community made by the Department of the Interior.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Natural Resources Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee
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.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 458Identical bill
Gila River Indian Community Judgment Fund Distribution Act of 2003
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 19 actions.
- May 14, 2003Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-22.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- May 2, 2003FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Apr 29, 2003FloorFloor · 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 · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 162.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Renzi moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Mar 25, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Water and Power.
- Mar 17, 2003FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Resources.
- Mar 13, 2003FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Mar 10, 2003CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 30.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Campbell without amendment. With written report No. 108-17.
- Feb 26, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Jan 15, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
- CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S848-849)
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.