Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
Business Meeting to consider S. 616, S. 2868, S. 3022, H.R. 1240, S. 2796
Date: May 1, 2024
Time: 2:45 PM
Location: Dirksen
Room: 628

• S.616, the Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Technical Corrections Act of 2023. The bill returns another 4,362 acres to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, headquartered in Minnesota, following enactment of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act in 2020. The prior law returned about 16,000 acres that were illegally taken from the tribe and improperly transferred to the U.S. Forest Service. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs took testimony on the bill at a legislative hearing on July 12, 2023.
• S.2868, A bill to accept the request to revoke the charter of incorporation of the Lower Sioux Indian Community in the state of Minnesota at the tribe’s request. A similar measure was enacted by the U.S. Congress for another Indian nation. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs took testimony on the bill at a legislative hearing on February 8.
• S.3022, the IHS Workforce Parity Act of 2023. The bill amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to allow Indian Health Service scholarship and loan recipients to fulfill their requirements in multiple ways. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs took testimony on the bill at a legislative hearing on February 8.
• H.R.1240, the Winnebago Land Transfer Act of 2023. The bill returns about 1,600 acres to the Winnebago Tribe, headquartered in Nebraska. The land, located in Iowa, was promised to the tribe by treaty but was later illegally condemned and taken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs took testimony on the bill at a legislative hearing on February 8. The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1240 on February 5 so further action in the U.S. Senate would put the bill over the finish line in the 118th Congress.
• S.2796, A bill to provide for the equitable settlement of certain Indian land disputes regarding land in Illinois, and for other purposes. The bill authorizes the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to resolve a land claim of the Miami Tribe, headquartered in Oklahoma. The claim is based on lands promised to the tribe by treaty in Illinois.

The committee approved all five bills at the business meeting. Each can now be considered by the full U.S. Senate for further consideration.

Business Meeting to consider S. 616, S. 2868, S. 3022, H.R. 1240, S. 2796 (May 1, 2024)