There is hereby established as an independent entity in the executive branch the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation which shall be under the direction of the Commissioner on Navajo and Hopi Relocation (hereinafter in this subchapter referred to as the "Commissioner").
(1) The Commissioner shall be appointed by the President.
(2) The term of office of the Commissioner shall be 2 years. An individual may be appointed Commissioner for more than one term. The Commissioner serving at the end of a term shall continue to serve until his or her successor has been confirmed in accordance with paragraph (1) of this subsection.
(3) The Commissioner shall be a full-time employee of the United States, and shall be compensated at the rate of basic pay payable for level IV of the Executive Schedule.
(1)(A) Except as otherwise provided by the Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Amendments of 1988, the Commissioner shall have all the powers and be responsible for all the duties that the Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Commission had before November 16, 1988.
(B) All funds appropriated to the Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Commission before the date on which the first Commissioner on Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation is confirmed by the Senate that have not been expended on such date shall become available to the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation on such date and shall remain available without fiscal year limitation.
(2) There are hereby transferred to the Commissioner, on January 31, 1989—
(A) all powers and duties of the Bureau of Indian Affairs derived from Public Law 99–190 (99 Stat. at 1236) that relate to the relocation of members of the Navajo Tribe from lands partitioned to the Hopi Tribe, and
(B) all funds appropriated for activities relating to such relocation pursuant to Public Law 99–190 (99 Stat. at 1236): Provided, That such funds shall be used by the Commissioner for the purpose for which such funds were appropriated to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. (B) 1 : Provided further, That for administrative purposes such funds shall be maintained in a separate account.
(1) Subject to such rules and regulations as may be adopted by the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation, the Commissioner shall have the power to—
(A) appoint and fix the compensation of such staff and personnel as the Commissioner deems necessary in accordance with the provisions of title 5 governing appointments in the competitive service, but at rates not in excess of a position classified above a GS–15 of the General Schedule under section 5108 of such title; and
(B) procure temporary and intermittent services to the same extent as is authorized by section 3109 of title 5, but at rates not to exceed $200 a day for individuals.
(2) The authority of the Commissioner to enter into contracts for the provision of legal services for the Commissioner or for the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation shall be subject to the availability of funds provided for such purpose by appropriations Acts.
(3) There are authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year $100,000 to fund contracts described in paragraph (2).
(1) The Commissioner is authorized to provide for the administrative, fiscal, and housekeeping services of the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation and is authorized to call upon any department or agency of the United States to assist him in implementing the relocation plan, except that the control over and responsibility for completing relocation shall remain in the Commissioner. In any case in which the Office calls upon any such department or agency for assistance under this section, such department or agency shall provide reasonable assistance so requested.
(2) On failure of any agency to provide reasonable assistance as required under paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Commissioner shall report such failure to the Congress.
The Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation shall cease to exist when the President determines that its functions have been fully discharged.
(Pub. L. 93–531, §12, Dec. 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 1716; Pub. L. 96–305, §5, July 8, 1980, 94 Stat. 932; Pub. L. 100–666, §4(a), Nov. 16, 1988, 102 Stat. 3929; Pub. L. 100–696, title IV, §406, Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4592; Pub. L. 102–180, §3(a)–(c), Dec. 2, 1991, 105 Stat. 1230; Pub. L. 112–166, §2(u), Aug. 10, 2012, 126 Stat. 1288.)
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Last modified: October 26, 2015