A bill to provide for the disposition of certain undistributed judgement funds awarded the Creek Nation.
Public Law 98-390 · S. 1224 · 98th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Aug 21, 1984 · Native Americans
Sponsor: Sen. Don Nickles (R-OK)
Cosponsors (2): Sen. David Boren, Sen. Jeremiah Denton
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.
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to distribute specified judgment funds to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma and the Creek Nation of Indians.
Directs the Secretary to allocate certain percentages of specified funds to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma and the Eastern Creeks.
Directs the Secretary to: (1) distribute the funds allocated to the Muscogee in order to implement any plan or program authorized by ordinance of such Nation; and (2) hold in trust and invest for their benefit the funds allocated to the Eastern Creeks.
Directs the Secretary to distribute such funds in the form of per capita payments to specified Eastern Creeks if the Eastern Creeks are not recognized as an Indian Tribe before June 30, 1985.
Directs the Secretary to act on the petition for Federal recognition of the Eastern Creeks by no later than December 31, 1983, or report to Congress if no action is taken.
Deems certain Eastern Creeks to be successor entities to the original Eastern Creek tribes for purposes of specified fund distributions if such entities receive Federal acknowledgement as Indian tribes before December 30, 1984.
Provides for pro rata fund distribution if more than one tribal entity is recognized by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to distribute specified trust funds and judgment awards in the form of per capita payments if none of the petitioners filing for Eastern Creek status receive Federal recognition as an Indian tribe prior to December 30, 1984.
Entitles certain Eastern Creek entities to file alternative distribution plans if such entities receive Federal recognition as Indian tribes prior to the distribution of certain judgment funds.
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. 13 actions.
- Aug 21, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-390.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 9, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Aug 6, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- Jun 27, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- May 23, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Natural Resources Committee
- May 14, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- May 10, 1984FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- May 1, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Apr 9, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- May 26, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- May 5, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · 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.