105 STAT. 1730 PUBLIC LAW 102-231—DEC. 12, 1991 (b) AGENCY CONTRIBUTIONS.—During the period an employee is entitled to the coverage, rights, and benefits pursuant to subsection (a), the tribal authority employing such employee shall deposit currently in the appropriate funds the employee deductions and agency contributions required by paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) of subsection (a). (c) PRIORITY PLACEMENT. —The Secretary shall establish and maintain a Departmental Priority Placement Program for SCIP employ- ees serving in competitive positions under career or career-conditional appointments who have satisfactory levels of performance and who receive a notice of involuntary separation as a result of divestiture of the SCIP electric system pursuant to the provisions of this Act. Employees must apply in writing for placement into the program not later than thirty calendar days after receipt of notice of involuntary separation. Employees shall be entitled to be placed on a priority basis into vacant positions outside the competitive area from which they are separated, at the same grade or level they last held in the agency and for which they are qualified, based upon the availability of such positions. (d) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section— (1) the term "employee' means an employee as defined in section 2106 of title 5, United States Code; (2) the term "agency" means the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and (3) the term "involuntary separation" means any separation from agency employment against the will and without the consent of the employee. (e) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary may prescribe regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this section and to protect and assure the compensation, retirement, insurance, leave, reemploy- ment rights, and such other similar civil service employment rights as he finds appropriate. SEC. 9. MISCELLANEOUS. (a) EFFECT ON EXISTING RIGHTS.— Nothing in this Act shall— (1) affect any right of the City of Mesa, Arizona, to deliver electric service to lands currently owned by the City of Mesa in Pinal County, Arizona; or (2) be construed as having any effect on the right of any Arizona incorporated rural electric cooperative to seek to provide electric service pursuant to existing Federal or State law. (b) APPROVAL BY ARIZONA CORPORATION COMMISSION.— Ap proval by the Arizona Corporation Commission of the allocation of electric service areas and systems as set forth in the Statements of Principles shall constitute recognition and confirmation of the financial viability and territorial integrity of the signatories to the Statements of Principles within the meaning of the provisions of the Rural Electrification Act of May 20, 1936, as amended (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.; 49 Stat. 1363; 63 Stat. 948). (c) EXISTING OBLIGATION OF THE UNITED STATES. —Nothing in this Act shall affect any obligation of the United States to SCAT to provide power at the rate of 2 mils per kilowatt hour for irrigation pumping and agency and school purposes pursuant to the Act of March 7, 1928 (45 Stat. 200, 210). (d) SCIP IRRIGATION DIVISION.— The Secretary is authorized to expend not more than $1,200,000 from funds credited to the SCIP Irrigation Division to acquire not more than ten acres of land and to
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