S. 622 — Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Amendments Act of 2025

This section amends the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act (P.L. 116-255) to expand the transfer of federal lands in the Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota, from the Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary of the Interior to be held in trust for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, as follows: (1) revises findings to state that the tribe does not intend immediately to modify the use of the federal land; (2) expands the definition of eligible federal land to include any other land managed by the Forest Service in the Chippewa National Forest in Cass County, Minnesota, which Bureau of Indian Affairs records show was sold without the unanimous consent of the rightful landowners; (3) authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, upon agreement with the tribe, to substitute alternative National Forest System land in Cass County on an acre-for-acre basis—preferring land adjacent to or near existing Leech Lake trust lands and lands of cultural importance to the tribe and avoiding in-holdings—with transfers on a rolling basis as land is identified and surveyed; and (4) makes conforming changes to transfer procedures, including use of plural "maps and legal descriptions." (As background, the original act restored approximately 11,000 acres of federal land to the tribe to address historical losses from allotments and sales.) This section reaffirms the applicability of Minnesota Statutes §97A.151—including its ratified settlement agreement—to ensure that hunting, fishing, and recreation rights of non-tribal members remain unchanged, and directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to provide public engagement and comment in accordance with applicable laws.