§ 293a. — Conveyance of school properties to local school districts or public agencies.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 25USC293a]
TITLE 25--INDIANS
CHAPTER 7--EDUCATION OF INDIANS
Sec. 293a. Conveyance of school properties to local school
districts or public agencies
The Secretary of the Interior, or his authorized representative, is
authorized to convey to State or local governmental agencies or to local
school authorities all the right, title, and interest of the United
States in any land and improvements thereon and personal property used
in connection therewith heretofore or hereafter used for Federal Indian
school purposes and no longer needed for such purposes: Provided, That
the consent of the beneficial owner shall be obtained before the
conveyance of title to land held by the United States in trust for an
individual Indian or Indian tribe: Provided further, That no more than
fifty acres of land shall be transferred under the terms of this section
in connection with any single school property conveyed to State or local
governmental agencies or to local school authorities. Any conveyance
under this section shall reserve all mineral deposits in the land and
the right to prospect for and remove such deposits under rules and
regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior, shall require
the property to be used for school or other public purposes, and shall
require the property to be available to Indians and non-Indians on the
same terms unless otherwise approved by the Secretary of the Interior.
If at any time the Secretary of the Interior determines that the grantee
of any such lands, improvements, and personal property has failed to
observe the provisions of the transfer agreement and that the failure
has continued for at least one year, he may declare a forfeiture of the
conveyance and the title conveyed shall thereupon revert to the United
States. Such determination by the Secretary of the Interior shall be
final. If the grantee of such land fails for a period of one year to
observe the provisions of the transfer agreement and the Secretary of
the Interior fails to declare a forfeiture of the conveyance, the former
beneficial owner, if an individual Indian or an Indian tribe, may
petition the United States District Court for the district where the
land is located to declare a forfeiture of the conveyance and to vest
the title in the United States, in the same trust status as previously
existed.
(June 4, 1953, ch. 98, 67 Stat. 41; Pub. L. 85-31, May 16, 1957, 71
Stat. 29; Pub. L. 87-417, Mar. 16, 1962, 76 Stat. 33.)
Amendments
1962--Pub. L. 87-417 increased land conveyance limitation from
twenty to fifty acres.
1957--Pub. L. 85-31 inserted last sentence allowing the former
beneficial owner, if an Indian or Indian tribe, to petition for
declaration of forfeiture of conveyance where grantee has failed for
period of one year to observe provisions of transfer agreement and
Secretary has not declared forfeiture.
