Gun Lake Trust Land Reaffirmation Act facts for kids
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| Long title | An Act to reaffirm that certain land has been taken into trust for the benefit of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatami Indians, and for other purposes |
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| Enacted by | the 113th United States Congress |
| Citations | |
| Public law | 113-179 |
| Statutes at Large | 128 Stat. 1913 |
| Legislative history | |
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| United States Supreme Court cases | |
| Patchak v. Zinke | |
The Gun Lake Trust Land Reaffirmation Act is a law passed by the United States Congress. It confirmed that certain land was officially set aside for the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi people in Michigan. This land is managed by the Department of the Interior (DOI) for the tribe's benefit.
The bill was introduced and passed during the 113th United States Congress. It became a federal law on September 26, 2014, when President Barack Obama signed it. Later, in 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States confirmed that the law was constitutional.
Why This Law Was Needed
This law was created because of an earlier Supreme Court decision. In 2009, the Supreme Court ruled in a case called Carcieri v. Salazar. This ruling said that the federal government could only take land into trust for tribes that were officially recognized before 1934.
The Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band was recognized after 1934. This meant their land trust could be challenged in court. The Gun Lake Trust Land Reaffirmation Act made sure their land trust could not be questioned under the Carcieri decision. It protected the tribe's land.
What the Act Does
The Gun Lake Trust Land Reaffirmation Act does a few important things:
- It officially approves the actions of the Secretary of the Interior. This means the Secretary was right to set aside land for the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band.
- It confirms that this land is indeed "trust land." Trust land is held by the government for the benefit of a Native American tribe.
- It stops any new lawsuits about this specific land from being started in a federal court. It also stops any ongoing lawsuits.
Costs and Lawsuits
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) looked at the bill. They estimated that this law would not cost the federal government much money. It would not significantly increase the cost of managing tribal trust lands.
However, the law does stop people and groups from filing lawsuits about the land. This means if someone felt they had a claim to the land, they could no longer take it to court. The CBO noted that the value of potential awards from such lawsuits could be large, especially because there are businesses on the trust land. But because it was hard to know how many lawsuits might have happened, the CBO could not estimate the exact cost of stopping these lawsuits.
How the Bill Became Law
The Gun Lake Trust Land Reaffirmation Act started in the United States Senate.
- It was introduced on October 29, 2013, by Senator Debbie Stabenow from Michigan.
- The bill went to the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs for review.
- On June 19, 2014, the Senate voted to pass the bill. Everyone agreed, so it passed with "unanimous consent."
- On September 16, 2014, the House of Representatives also voted to pass the bill. The vote was 359 in favor and 64 against.
- Finally, President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on September 26, 2014.
