Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Amendments Act of 2025
Officially: “Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Amendments Act of 2025” Read the full text
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1Short title
This section states that the Act may be cited as the Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Amendments Act of 2025.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Amendments Act of 2025 .
2Transfer of additional Federal land to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
This section would amend the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act (Public Law 116-255) in several connected ways. It would replace one of the findings in that Act, so that the finding in section 2(a)(5)(B) would instead state that the Secretary does not intend immediately to modify the use of the Federal land. It would expand what counts as Federal land under the Act: in addition to the land already described there, Federal land would also include any other land managed by the Secretary, through the Chief of the Forest Service, that is located in the Chippewa National Forest in Cass County, Minnesota, and that records maintained by the Bureau of Indian Affairs show was sold without the unanimous consent of the rightful landowners. It would also add, to a related list of land categories in section 2(b)(1)(B) of the Act, any land transferred under the new agreement process described below. It would add a new agreement process to the Act: if the Secretary and the Tribe agree, the Secretary must substitute, for purposes of the transfer required under paragraph (1) of that subsection, other National Forest System land located in Cass County, Minnesota, on an acre-for-acre basis, for the parcels of Federal land that would otherwise be transferred, doing so in a manner that avoids creating in-holdings and that gives preference, to the maximum extent practicable, to land adjacent to or near existing Leech Lake trust land and land of cultural importance to the Tribe; under such an agreement, the Secretary may transfer land to the Secretary of the Interior on a rolling basis as parcels are identified and surveys are completed. The main transfer requirement in that subsection would also be made subject to this new agreement paragraph, in addition to the provision it already cross-referenced. The section would also narrow an existing reference to Federal land in section 2(d)(1)(A) of the Act so that it applies specifically to the Federal land described in section 2(b)(1)(A)(i) (the original approximately-acreage land). It would also update related requirements in that subsection: the Act's requirements to submit a map and legal description of the Federal land would instead require maps and legal descriptions, covering the land transferred under both the original transfer provision and the new agreement provision, as applicable; related singular references to a map or legal description elsewhere in that subsection would likewise become plural. Separately, this section states that Congress reaffirms that section 97A.151 of the Minnesota Statutes, including the settlement agreement ratified by that section, continues to apply, so that the hunting, fishing, and recreation rights of people who are not members of the Tribe remain unchanged by the original Act and by the amendments this section would make. Finally, this section would require the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to provide for public engagement and comment, consistent with applicable laws including regulations, when implementing these amendments.
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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).
Where it is
In the Senate.