Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Land Claim Settlement Act of 2025

This bill, titled the "Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Land Claim Settlement Act of 2025," aims to provide compensation to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community for historical land takings by the United States government. The Community, a successor to the 1854 Treaty, had lands within the L'Anse Indian Reservation taken without just compensation. Specifically, 2,743 acres of "Reservation Swamp Lands" were patented to the State of Michigan between 1893 and 1937 under the Swamp Land Act, and between 1,333.25 and 2,720 acres of "Reservation Canal Lands" were granted to the State under the Canal Land Act, despite the Community's treaty-guaranteed rights. The Department of the Interior has acknowledged the merit of the Community's claims, recognizing that these actions deprived the Community of exclusive use and occupancy, impacting their cultural, religious, and economic rights. To resolve these inequities, the bill authorizes an appropriation of $33,900,000 for fiscal year 2026 to be transferred to the Community for lawful purposes, excluding gaming land acquisition. In return, upon receiving this payment, all claims by the Community to the Reservation Swamp Lands and Reservation Canal Lands owned by others will be extinguished, thereby clearing the title for current non-Indian landowners and avoiding protracted litigation.