II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 616 

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 

MARCH 1, 2023 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Leech Lake Reserva5 tion Restoration Technical Corrections Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TRANSFER OF ADDITIONAL FEDERAL LAND. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Section 2(a)(5) of the Leech Lake 

8 Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act (Public Law 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 616 IS

1 116–255; 134 Stat. 1140) is amended by striking sub2 paragraph (B) and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(B) does not intend immediately to mod4 ify the use of the Federal land.’’. 

5 (b) INCLUSION OF ADDITIONAL FEDERAL LAND.— 

6 Section 2 of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation 

7 Restoration Act (Public Law 116–255; 134 Stat. 1139) 

8 is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (b)(1)— 

10 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

11 (i) by striking ‘‘means the approxi12 mately’’ and inserting ‘‘means— 

13 ‘‘(i) the approximately’’; 

14 (ii) in clause (i) (as so designated), by 

15 striking the period at the end and inserting 

16 ‘‘; and’’; and 

17 (iii) by adding at the end the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(ii) any other land managed by the 

20 Secretary, through the Chief of the Forest 

21 Service, located in the Chippewa National 

22 Forest in Cass County, Minnesota, which 

23 records maintained by the Bureau of In24 dian Affairs show was sold without the 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 616 IS

1 consent of a majority of the rightful land2 owners.’’; and 

3 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

4 (i) by redesignating clauses (i) and 

5 (ii) as clauses (ii) and (iii), respectively; 

6 and 

7 (ii) by inserting before clause (ii) (as 

8 so redesignated) the following: 

9 ‘‘(i) any land transferred pursuant to 

10 an agreement entered into between the 

11 Secretary and the Tribe under subsection 

12 (c)(2);’’; 

13 (2) in subsection (c)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘para15 graph (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2) and 

16 (3)’’; 

17 (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

18 paragraph (3); and 

19 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(2) AGREEMENT.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On agreement be23 tween the Secretary and the Tribe, the Sec24 retary shall substitute, for purposes of the 

25 transfer under paragraph (1), alternative NaVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:17 Mar 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S616.IS S616

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 616 IS

1 tional Forest System land located in Cass 

2 County, Minnesota, on an acre-for-acre basis, 

3 for those parcels of Federal land to be trans4 ferred under that paragraph that are found to 

5 be unsuitable for the future uses of the Tribe. 

6 ‘‘(B) FREQUENCY OF TRANSFERS.—Pursu7 ant to an agreement entered into under sub8 paragraph (A), the Secretary may transfer land 

9 to the Tribe on a rolling basis as that land is 

10 identified and surveys are completed. 

11 ‘‘(C) FINAL AGENCY ACTION.—An agree12 ment described in subparagraph (A), and any 

13 transfer of land made pursuant to an agree14 ment entered into under that subparagraph, 

15 shall be considered a final agency action under 

16 subchapter II of chapter 5, and chapter 7, of 

17 title 5, United States Code.’’; and 

18 (3) in subsection (d)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

20 (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

21 ‘‘described in subsection (b)(1)(A)(i)’’ after 

22 ‘‘Federal land’’; and 

23 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

24 ‘‘submit a map and legal description of the 

25 Federal land’’ and inserting ‘‘submit maps 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 616 IS

1 and legal descriptions of the Federal land 

2 transferred pursuant to paragraphs (1) 

3 and (2) of subsection (c), as applicable,’’; 

4 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

5 (i) by striking ‘‘map and legal descrip6 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘maps and legal de7 scriptions’’; and 

8 (ii) by striking ‘‘map or legal descrip9 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘maps or legal descrip10 tions’’; and 

11 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘map 

12 and legal description’’ and inserting ‘‘maps and 

13 legal descriptions’’. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS