112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5544 
AN ACT 
To authorize and expedite a land exchange involving National 
Forest System land in the Laurentian District of the 
Superior National Forest and certain other National For-
est System land in the State of Minnesota that has 
limited recreational and conservation resources and lands 
owned by the State of Minnesota in trust for the public 
school system that are largely scattered in checkerboard 
fashion within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilder-
ness and have important recreational, scenic, and con-
servation resources, and for other purposes.
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 ‘‘Minnesota Education 
Investment and Employment Act’’. 
SEC. 2. LAND EXCHANGE, BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA 
WILDERNESS AND SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOR-
EST, MINNESOTA. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) The State of Minnesota owns multiple par-
cels of land in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
Wilderness in the Superior National Forest that 
were granted to the State through sections 16 and 
36 of the Enabling Act of 1857 to be held in trust 
for the benefit of the public school system in the 
State (in this section referred to as ‘‘State trust 
lands’’). 
(2) The State trust lands were acquired by the 
State long before the establishment of either the Na-
tional Forest System or the wilderness area and are 
scattered in a largely checkerboard fashion amid the 
Superior National Forest and the wilderness area. 
(3) The presence of State trust lands in the wil-
derness area makes land and resource management
in the wilderness area more difficult, costly, and con-
troversial for the United States and the State. 
(4) Although the State trust lands were granted 
to the State to generate financial support for the 
public school system through the sale or development 
of natural resources, development of those resources 
in the wilderness area may be incompatible with 
managing the wilderness area for recreational, nat-
ural, and conservation purposes. 
(5) The United States owns land and interests 
in land in other parts of the State that can be trans-
ferred to the State in exchange for the State trust 
lands without jeopardizing Federal management ob-
jectives or needs. 
(6) It is in the public interest to exchange, on 
terms that are fair to the United States and the 
State, National Forest System land in the State that 
has limited recreational and conservation resources 
for State trust lands located in the wilderness area 
with important recreational, scenic, and conservation 
resources for permanent public management and 
use. 
(7) The Legislature of the State of Minnesota, 
meeting in its 87th Legislative Session, passed (and 
on April 27, 2012, the Governor of Minnesota ap-
proved) S.F No. 1750 (Chapter 236), section 4 of 
which adds section 92.80 to the Minnesota Statutes 
to expedite the exchange of a portion of the State 
trust lands located within the Boundary Waters 
Canoe Area Wilderness. 
(b) LAND EXCHANGE REQUIRED.—The Secretary of 
Agriculture shall consummate a land exchange with the 
State of Minnesota pursuant to section 4 of S.F No. 1750 
(Chapter 236) of the Legislature of the State of Minnesota 
(section 92.80 of the Minnesota Statutes) to acquire all 
right, title, and interest of the State in and to certain 
State trust lands identified as provided in such section in 
exchange for all right, title, and interest of the United 
States in and to National Forest System land in the State 
for inclusion in the State trust lands. 
(c) VALUATION OF LANDS FOR EXCHANGE.—Sub-
division 4 of section 4 of S.F No. 1750 (Chapter 236) 
of the Legislature of the State of Minnesota (section 92.80 
of the Minnesota Statutes) shall control for purposes of 
the examination and value determination of the lands to 
be exchanged. 
(d) SURVEY
AND ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—The 
exact acreage and legal description of the land to be ex-
changed under subsection (b) shall be determined by a 
survey satisfactory to the Secretary. The State of Min-
nesota shall be responsible for the costs of the survey and 
all other administrative costs related to the land exchange. 
(e) BOUNDARIES AND MANAGEMENT OF ACQUIRED 
LAND.— 
(1) LAND ACQUIRED BY SECRETARY.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The land acquired by 
the Secretary under subsection (b) shall be 
added to and administered as part of the 
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness estab-
lished pursuant to section 3 of the Wilderness 
Act (16 U.S.C. 1132(a)), and the Secretary 
shall modify the boundaries of the wilderness 
area to reflect inclusion of the acquired lands. 
Subject to subparagraph (B), the land acquired 
by the Secretary shall be managed in accord-
ance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 
et seq.) and other laws and regulations applica-
ble to the National Wilderness Preservation 
System. 
(B) NO
EFFECT
ON
EXISTING
FISHING 
AND
HUNTING
RIGHTS.—The acquisition of 
land by the United States under subsection (b) 
and inclusion of the land in the Boundary 
Waters Canoe Area Wilderness shall not alter 
or otherwise affect—
(i) any fishing and hunting rights in 
existence with respect to the land imme-
diately before the conveyance of the land to 
the United States; or 
(ii) the use of such rights after con-
veyance. 
(2) LAND ACQUIRED BY STATE.—The land ac-
quired by the State of Minnesota under subsection 
(b) shall be deemed to be State trust lands and shall 
be held in trust for the benefit of the public school 
system in the State. It is the sense of Congress that, 
whenever the land acquired by the State of Min-
nesota under subsection (b) is not being used for 
revenue-generating activities, the State should make 
the land available for other compatible uses, includ-
ing hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, snowmobiling, 
and trail riding. 
(3) BOUNDARIES OF SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOR-
EST.—The Secretary shall modify the boundaries of 
the Superior National Forest to reflect the land ex-
change conducted under this section. 
(f) RELATION TO OTHER LAWS.— 
(1) LAND
AND
WATER
CONSERVATION
FUND 
ACT.—For purposes of section 7 of the Land and 
Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C.
460l–9), the boundaries of the Superior National 
Forest, as modified by subsection (e)(3), shall be 
considered to be boundaries of the Superior National 
Forest as of January 1, 1965. 
(2) NOT A MAJOR FEDERAL ACTION.—The land 
exchange conducted under this section shall not be 
considered to be a major Federal action. 
(3) THYE-BLATNIK ACT.—The Secretary shall 
not take into consideration the lands acquired by the 
United States under this Act in determining the ap-
praised value of National Forest System lands in the 
State of Minnesota used for purposes of making 
payments to the State of Minnesota under the Act 
of June 22, 1948, and the Act of June 22, 1956 
(commonly known as the Thye-Blatnik Act and 
Humphrey-Thye-Blatnik-Andresen Act; 16 U.S.C. 
577c through 577h). 
(g) NO IMPACT ON OTHER LAND EXCHANGES.—The 
land exchange described in subsection (b) does not affect 
any land exchange involving National Forest System land 
in the State of Minnesota underway as of the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
(h) REPORT.—If the Secretary fails to complete the 
land exchange described in subsection (b) before the end 
of the 18-month period beginning on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress, 
not later than 30 days after the end of such period, a re-
port— 
(1) specifying the reasons why the exchange has 
not been completed; and 
(2) stating the date by which the Secretary an-
ticipates the conveyance will be completed. 
Passed the House of Representatives September 12, 
2012. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5544 
AN ACT 
To authorize and expedite a land exchange involv-
ing National Forest System land in the Lauren-
tian District of the Superior National Forest and 
certain other National Forest System land in the 
State of Minnesota that has limited recreational 
and conservation resources and lands owned by 
the State of Minnesota in trust for the public 
school system that are largely scattered in check-
erboard fashion within the Boundary Waters 
Canoe Area Wilderness and have important rec-
reational, scenic, and conservation resources, and 
for other purposes.