Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Technical Corrections Act of 2023

Subjects: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:  <p><strong>Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Technical Corrections Act of 2023</strong></p> <p>This bill provides for the transfer of certain federal land located in the Chippewa National Forest in Cass County, Minnesota, to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. </p> <p><em></em>The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must transfer to the tribe land in the Chippewa National Forest that records maintained by the Bureau of Indian Affairs show was sold without the consent of a majority of the rightful landowners.</p> <p>Upon agreement between USDA and the tribe, USDA shall substitute alternative National Forest System land located in Cass County on an acre-for-acre basis for those parcels of federal land to be transferred that are found to be unsuitable for the future uses of the tribe.</p> <p>USDA may transfer land to the tribe on a rolling basis as that land is identified and surveys are completed.</p> <p>Any such agreement and any transfer of land made pursuant to such agreement shall be considered a final agency action.</p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 616 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






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.

    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 
Technical Corrections Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. TRANSFER OF ADDITIONAL FEDERAL LAND.

    (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 consent of a majority 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 that are found to be 
                unsuitable for the future uses of the Tribe.
                    ``(B) Frequency of transfers.--Pursuant to an 
                agreement entered into under subparagraph (A), the 
                Secretary may transfer land to the Tribe on a rolling 
                basis as that land is identified and surveys are 
                completed.
                    ``(C) Final agency action.--An agreement described 
                in subparagraph (A), and any transfer of land made 
                pursuant to an agreement entered into under that 
                subparagraph, shall be considered a final agency action 
                under subchapter II of chapter 5, and chapter 7, of 
                title 5, United States Code.''; 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), 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''.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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