President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a bipartisan bill led by U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer to transfer roughly 1,600 acres of land back to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska that were illegally seized in the 1970s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“Our bill becoming law corrects a decades-old wrong. Now, we can finally return this land to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska,” Sen. Fischer said. “I want to thank my colleagues for their unanimous support and the Winnebago Tribe for their persistence and dedication to their people.”
U.S. Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Sharice Davids (D-KS) on Feb. 28, 2023 introduced the U.S. House of Representatives’ version of the Winnebago Land Transfer Act of 2023, H.R. 1240. Sen. Fischer on Nov. 6, 2023 sponsored the identical S. 3230 alongside three GOP original cosponsors, including U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA).
The newly enacted law will transfer administrative jurisdiction of certain federal lands from the Army Corps of Engineers to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which will take the lands into trust for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, according to the bill’s text.
The land then will be made part of the tribe’s reservation, and gaming on the land that will be taken into trust will be prohibited.
“This is a truly historic moment for the Winnebago Tribe as lands that were taken from us over 50 years ago will soon be restored to the tribe,” said Winnebago Tribe Chairwoman Victoria Kitcheyan. “Our ancestors, including the late Louis LaRose, fought tirelessly to secure and protect our homelands. The Tribal Council is honored to carry on their work.”