119-s622

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 622 Reported in Senate

    (RS) ]

<DOC>

 Calendar No. 187
119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 622

 [Report No. 119-78]

 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

 October 14, 2025

 Reported by Ms. Murkowski, without amendment

_______________________________________________________________________

 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).
 Calendar No. 187

119th CONGRESS

 1st Session

 S. 622

 [Report No. 119-78]

_______________________________________________________________________

 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.

_______________________________________________________________________

 October 14, 2025

 Reported without amendment