S. 622 · Passed Senate · Native Americans

Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Amendments Act of 2025

Sponsor: Tina Smith (D-MN)

What it does

• Requires the Department of Agriculture to transfer federal land in the Chippewa National Forest in Cass County, Minnesota, to the Department of the Interior for the benefit of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe that was sold without unanimous consent of rightful landowners.
• Directs the Department of Agriculture to substitute alternative National Forest System land in Cass County, Minnesota, on an acre-for-acre basis for parcels transferred, prioritizing land adjacent to existing Leech Lake trust lands and lands of cultural importance to the tribe.
• Authorizes the Department of Agriculture to transfer land to the Department of the Interior on a rolling basis as land is identified and surveys are completed.
• Requires the U.S. Forest Service to provide for public engagement and comment to implement the bill.

Official summary

Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Amendments Act of 2025 This bill transfers certain federal land located in the Chippewa National Forest in Cass County, Minnesota, to the Department of the Interior for the benefit of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to transfer for the benefit of the tribe land in the Chippewa National Forest that records maintained by the Bureau of Indian Affairs show was sold without the unanimous consent of the rightful landowners. Upon agreement between USDA and the tribe, USDA shall substitute 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 in a manner that avoids inholdings 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. USDA may transfer land to Interior on a rolling basis as that land is identified and surveys are completed. USDA, acting through the U.S. Forest Service, must provide for public engagement and comment to implement this bill.

Latest action

Dec 15, 2025: Held at the desk.

Committee: Senate Indian Affairs