# Winnebago Land Transfer Act of 2023

This bill transfers ownership and control of three specific parcels of federal land from the Army Corps of Engineers to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Currently, the U.S. military agency manages these lands, but the bill would officially place them under tribal control as part of the Winnebago Reservation. The lands in question are located along the Iowa-Nebraska border in Woodbury County, Iowa, and have been the subject of a long-standing legal dispute dating back to the 1970s.

What this means in practical terms is that the Winnebago Tribe would gain the ability to govern and make decisions about these lands themselves, rather than having a federal agency oversee them. The tribe could use the property for housing, economic development, cultural purposes, or other tribal needs. The bill ties this transfer back to an 1865 treaty between the U.S. government and the Winnebago Tribe, essentially recognizing that these lands should have been part of the tribe's reservation all along. For the broader public, this primarily affects the Winnebago Tribe and residents of the immediate area, as it clarifies who has authority over these border lands and allows the tribe greater self-determination over their own territory.

The bill doesn't appear to create new restrictions for non-tribal members or significantly impact the general public, though it does represent a shift in land management from federal to tribal control in this specific region.

Winnebago Land Transfer Act of 2023

Feenstra, Randy

 <p><b>Winnebago Land Transfer Act of 2023</b></p> This bill takes specified lands in Iowa into trust for the benefit of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. The land is made part of the tribe's reservation.