I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5529 
To provide for the transfer of certain Federal land in the State of Minnesota 
for the benefit of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 17, 2018 
Mr. NOLAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To provide for the transfer of certain Federal land in the 
State of Minnesota for the benefit of the Leech Lake 
Band of Ojibwe. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Leech Lake Band of 
Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act’’. 
SEC. 2. LEECH LAKE BAND OF OJIBWE RESERVATION RES-
TORATION. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
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(1) the Federal land described in subsection 
(b)(1) was taken from members of the Leech Lake 
Band of Ojibwe during a period— 
(A) beginning in 1948; 
(B) during which the Bureau of Indian Af-
fairs incorrectly interpreted an order of the Sec-
retary of the Interior to mean that the Depart-
ment of the Interior had the authority to sell 
tribal allotments without the consent of a ma-
jority of the rightful landowners; and 
(C) ending in 1959, when the Secretary of 
the Interior was— 
(i) advised that sales described in sub-
paragraph (B) were illegal; and 
(ii) ordered to cease conducting those 
sales; 
(2)(A) the applicable statute of limitations pro-
hibits individuals from pursuing through litigation 
the return of the land taken as described in para-
graph (1); but 
(B) a Federal judge ruled that the land could 
be restored to the affected individuals through the 
legislative process; 
(3) a comprehensive review of the Federal land 
demonstrated that— 
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(A) a large portion of the Federal land is 
overloaded with— 
(i) utility easements; 
(ii) rights-of-way for roads; and 
(iii) flowage and reservoir rights; and 
(B) there are no cabins, campgrounds, 
lodges, or resorts located on any portion of the 
Federal land; and 
(4) on reacquisition by the Tribe of the Federal 
land, the Tribe— 
(A) has pledged to respect the easements, 
rights-of-way, and other rights described in 
paragraph (3)(A); and 
(B)(i) does not intend immediately to mod-
ify the use of the Federal land; but 
(ii) will keep the Federal land in tax-ex-
empt fee status as part of the Chippewa Na-
tional Forest until the Tribe develops a plan 
that allows for a gradual subdivision of some 
tracts for economic and residential development 
by the Tribe. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) FEDERAL LAND.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Federal 
land’’ means the approximately 11,760 acres of 
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Federal land located in the Chippewa National 
Forest in Cass County, Minnesota, the bound-
aries of which shall be depicted on the map, 
and described in the legal description, sub-
mitted under subsection (d)(1)(B). 
(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘Federal 
land’’ includes— 
(i) any improvement located on the 
Federal land described in subparagraph 
(A); and 
(ii) any appurtenance to the Federal 
land. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture. 
(3) TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the 
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. 
(c) TRANSFER TO RESERVATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing 
rights and paragraph (2), the Secretary shall trans-
fer to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary 
of the Interior all right, title, and interest of the 
United States in and to the Federal land. 
(2) TREATMENT.—Effective immediately on the 
transfer under paragraph (1), the Federal land shall 
be— 
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(A) held in trust by the United States for 
the benefit of the Tribe; and 
(B) considered to be a part of the reserva-
tion of the Tribe. 
(d) SURVEY, MAP, AND LEGAL DESCRIPTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 
(A) not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, complete a plan of 
survey to establish the boundaries of the Fed-
eral land; and 
(B) as soon as practicable after the date of 
enactment of this Act, submit a map and legal 
description of the Federal land to— 
(i) the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives; 
and 
(ii) the Committee on Indian Affairs 
of the Senate. 
(2) FORCE AND EFFECT.—The map and legal 
description submitted under paragraph (1)(B) shall 
have the same force and effect as if included in this 
Act, except that the Secretary may correct any cler-
ical or typographical error in the map or legal de-
scription. 
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(3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The map and legal 
description submitted under paragraph (1)(B) shall 
be on file and available for public inspection in the 
office of the Secretary. 
(e) ADMINISTRATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Except as otherwise ex-
pressly provided in this section, nothing in this sec-
tion affects any right or claim of the Tribe, as in ex-
istence on the date of enactment of this Act, to any 
land or interest in land. 
(2) PROHIBITIONS.— 
(A) EXPORTS OF UNPROCESSED LOGS.— 
Federal law (including regulations) relating to 
the export of unprocessed logs harvested from 
Federal land shall apply to any unprocessed 
logs that are harvested from the Federal land. 
(B) NON-PERMISSIBLE
USE
OF
LAND.— 
The Federal land shall not be eligible or used 
for any gaming activity carried out under the 
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 
2701 et seq.). 
(3) FOREST
MANAGEMENT.—Any commercial 
forestry activity carried out on the Federal land 
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shall be managed in accordance with applicable Fed-
eral law. 
Æ 
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