Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 76.djvu/756

 708 Procedure.

Sale at auction.

Power of attorney.

F e e s and expenses.

Notice of rejection.

PUBLIC LAW 87-735-OCT. 3, 1962

[76 STAT.

(a) Upon receipt of requests from the required ownership interests, the Secretary shall notify the tribe and each owner of an undivided Indian interest in the land by a letter directed to his last known address that each such owner and the tribe has a right to purchase the land for its appraised value, unless one of the owners objects within the time fixed by the Secretary, or for a lower price if all of the owners agree, and that if more than one OAvner or if one owner and the tribe wants to purchase the land it will be sold on the basis of sealed competitive bids restricted to the owners of undivided interests in the land and the tribe. (b) If no Indian owner of an undivided interest in the land elects to purchase the land within the time fixed by the Secretary, and the tribe owns no interest in the land, the Secretary shall offer to sell the land at its appraised value to the tribe, unless one of the Indian owners or his authorized representative objects within the time fixed by the Secretary to a sale to the tribe at the appraised value. (c) If any Indian owner or his authorized representative objects to a sale to the tribe at the appraised value, the Secretary shall offer the land for sale by sealed competitive bid with a preferential right in the tribe or any Indian owner to meet the high bid, unless one of the Indian owners or his authorized representative objects within the time fixed by the Secretary to the grant of such preferential right. All bids shall be rejected if no bid substantially equal to the appraised value is received. (d) If any Indian owner or his authorized representative objects to a sale by sealed competitive bid with a preferential right to meet the high bid, the Secretary shall offer the land for sale by sealed bids without such preferential right: Provided, That, if at any time before sealed bids are invited the tribe or one of the Indian owners asks that the land be sold at auction, then after notice to all interested parties including the tribe, the land shall be sold at auction immediately after the opening of the sealed bids and auction bidding shall be limited to the Indian owners, the tribe, and persons who submitted sealed bids in amounts not less than 75 per centum of the appraised value of the land. The highest sealed bid shall be considered the opening auction bid. No sale shall be made unless the price is equal to the highest sealed bid and substantially equal to the appraised value. (e) The Secretary may, when he deems it in the best interests of the Indian owners, obtain a power of attorney from the owner of a nonIndian interest in the land to be sold authorizing the Secretary to sell and convey the interest of the non-Indian owner in accordance with any part of the procedure provided in this section. SEC, 12. The Secretary of the Treasury, upon certification by the Secretary of the Interior, shall reimburse the tribe for fees and expenses incurred in connection with the taking of Indian lands within the reservation for the Big Bend project: Provided, That such reimbursable fees and expenses shall not exceed in the aggregate $75,000: Provided further, That attorney fees shall be paid under the terms of a contract approved by the Secretary of the Interior. SEC. 13. (a) Any individual Indian who has been duly tendered payment in accordance with the schedules prepared pursuant to section 2(b) of this Act, shall have the right to reject the sum tendered by filing a notice of rejection with the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, Washington, District of Columbia, or with the superintendent of the Pierre Indian Agency, Pierre, South Dakota, within one year from the date of enactment of this Act or within ninety days after the tender is made, whichever date is later. For the purpose of this section, the Secretary of the Interior and the tribe are authorized to represent any Indian entitled to payment who is a minor, or under

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