[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 622 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 622
To amend the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act to
provide for the transfer of additional Federal land to the Leech Lake
Band of Ojibwe, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 18, 2025
Ms. Smith (for herself and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act to
provide for the transfer of additional Federal land to the Leech Lake
Band of Ojibwe, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Leech Lake Reservation Restoration
Amendments Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. TRANSFER OF ADDITIONAL FEDERAL LAND TO THE LEECH LAKE BAND OF
OJIBWE.
(a) Findings.--Section 2(a)(5) of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Reservation Restoration Act (Public Law 116-255; 134 Stat. 1140) is
amended by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following:
``(B) does not intend immediately to modify the use
of the Federal land.''.
(b) Inclusion of Additional Federal Land.--Section 2 of the Leech
Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act (Public Law 116-255;
134 Stat. 1139) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(1)--
(A) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) by striking ``means the approximately''
and inserting ``means--
``(i) the approximately'';
(ii) in clause (i) (as so designated), by
striking the period at the end and inserting
``; and''; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) any other land managed by the
Secretary, through the Chief of the Forest
Service, located in the Chippewa National
Forest in Cass County, Minnesota, which records
maintained by the Bureau of Indian Affairs show
was sold without the unanimous consent of the
rightful landowners.''; and
(B) in subparagraph (B)--
(i) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii)
as clauses (ii) and (iii), respectively; and
(ii) by inserting before clause (ii) (as so
redesignated) the following:
``(i) any land transferred pursuant to an
agreement entered into between the Secretary
and the Tribe under subsection (c)(2);'';
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``paragraph (2)''
and inserting ``paragraphs (2) and (3)'';
(B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph
(3); and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
``(2) Agreement.--
``(A) In general.--On agreement between the
Secretary and the Tribe, the Secretary shall
substitute, for purposes of the transfer under
paragraph (1), alternative National Forest System land
located in Cass County, Minnesota, on an acre-for-acre
basis, for those parcels of Federal land to be
transferred under that paragraph in a manner that
avoids in-holdings and provides a preference for land
adjacent to or near existing Leech Lake trust lands and
lands of cultural importance to the Tribe, to the
maximum extent practicable.
``(B) Frequency of transfers.--Pursuant to an
agreement entered into under subparagraph (A), the
Secretary may transfer land to the Secretary of the
Interior on a rolling basis as that land is identified
and surveys are completed.''; and
(3) in subsection (d)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting
``described in subsection (b)(1)(A)(i)'' after
``Federal land''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (B), in the matter
preceding clause (i), by striking ``submit a
map and legal description of the Federal land''
and inserting ``submit maps and legal
descriptions of the Federal land transferred
pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of
subsection (c), as applicable,'';
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) by striking ``map and legal
description'' and inserting ``maps and legal
descriptions''; and
(ii) by striking ``map or legal
description'' and inserting ``maps or legal
descriptions''; and
(C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``map and legal
description'' and inserting ``maps and legal
descriptions''.
(c) Reaffirmation.--Congress reaffirms the applicability of section
97A.151 of the Minnesota Statutes, including the settlement agreement
ratified by that section, for purposes of ensuring that the hunting,
fishing, and recreation rights of non-Tribal members remain unchanged
by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act (Public
Law 116-255; 134 Stat. 1139) and the amendments made to that Act by
this section.
(d) Implementation.--In implementing the amendments made by this
section, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the
Forest Service, shall provide for public engagement and comment in
accordance with applicable laws (including regulations).
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