The Hoopa Valley Tribe and the Yurok Tribe may turn to Congress once again to resolve a dispute over a $90 million trust fund.

Congress created the fund in 1988 in hopes of resolving a land dispute between the two northern California tribes. The Hoopas accepted the settlement but the Yuroks disputed it and took the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court before losing.

Now the tribes can't agree on the distribution of the $90 million. The Hoopas say all of it belongs to them because the Yurok tribe never complied with the settlement. But the Hoopas are willing to split it 50-50 anyway.

The Yuroks don't want half, they want it all. They say the money was never meant for the Hoopas and have asked the Interior Department to release the money to them.

Get the Story:
Tribal turmoil brewing - after 18 years (The Sacramento Bee 7/17)
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Relevant Documents:
Written Witness Testimony (8/1)

Relevant Laws:
Hoopa Yurok Settlement Act of 1988 (P.L.100-580)

Related Stories:
Calif. tribes and BIA at odds over settlement (8/2)