Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Land Claim Settlement Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Gary Peters
Passed Senate
Summary
One-time $33.9 million settlement for historic taking of reservation swamp and canal lands. This law compensates the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community for specific Reservation Swamp Lands and Reservation Canal Lands and extinguishes the Community's claims to those parcels while confirming current owners' titles.
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- Keweenaw Bay Indian Community: Receives a one-time payment of $33.9 million for governmental services, economic development, natural resources protection, and land acquisition. The money may not be used to acquire land for gaming.
- Current non-Community landowners: Titles to the identified Swamp Lands and Canal Lands are cleared of the Community's preexisting rights and potential claims are extinguished.
- Local community and county: The settlement aims to reduce legal uncertainty, protect clear title for local landowners, and provide a restorative, non-confrontational resolution that supports local stability.
*Authorizes a one-time $33.9 million appropriation for fiscal year 2026, increasing federal spending by $33.9 million.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Tribal $33.9 million settlement and title clarity
If enacted, the federal government would pay the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community $33.9 million for historic land takings. The money is authorized for fiscal year 2026 and would be paid when funds are available, and would remain available until spent. When the Community receives the payment, its claims to certain Reservation Swamp and Canal Lands owned by others would end. Current owners of those parcels would have clear title on that date. The bill would define the Reservation and the affected parcels by township, range, and acreage.
Limits on using settlement money for gaming
The Community could use the funds for government services, economic development, natural resources, and buying land. But it could not use this money to buy land for gaming, and land bought with these funds could not be used for gaming. The Interior Department would also be barred from taking land into trust for the Community for gaming purposes.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Gary Peters
MI • D
Cosponsors
Elissa Slotkin
MI • D
Sponsored 2/19/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov