,i  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #cbee  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,may #g1 #bjbe,ms4   
,scholten 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,james1    
,ms4 ,tlaib1 and ,ms4 ,stevens7         
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on ,natural 
,resources  ,a ,,bill  ,to reaffirm and 
clarify the ,federal relationships of   
the ,grand ,river ,bands of ,ottawa     
,indians of ,michigan as a federally    
recognized ,indian tribe1 and for other 
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,grand ,river ,bands
 of ,ottawa ,indians ,restoration ,act  
of #bjbe4  #b4 ,findings ,congress finds
 the following3  7#a7 ,the ,tribe       
consists of the #ai bands of ,indians   
who occupied territory in what is now   
west ,michigan1 including the counties  
of ,kent1 ,ottawa1 ,muskegon1 ,newaygo1 
and ,oceana4  7#b7 ,the ,tribe consists 
of descendants of1 and political        
successors to1 signatories of the #ahba 
,treaty of ,chicago1 #ahcf ,treaty of   

,washington1 and the #ahee ,treaty of   
,detroit4  7#c7 ,in #aiid1 ,public ,law 
#ajc-cbd 7#ajh ,stat4 #baef7 recognized 
two ,michigan ,ottawa tribes whose      
histories are virtually identical to    
that of the ,grand ,river ,bands1 the   
,little ,river ,band of ,ottawa ,indians
 and the ,little ,traverse ,bay ,bands  
of ,odawa ,indians4  7#d7 ,the          
,commissioner of ,indian ,affairs1      
,morris ,thompson1 and ,congress1 via   
,public ,law #ajc-cbd1 specifically     
recognized that the ,northern ,michigan 
,ottawa ,association and the ,grand     
,river ,bands ,descendant's ,committee1 
whose membership included the ,grand    
,river ,bands1 were functioning as or at
 least are accepted as tribal political 
entities by the ,minneapolis ,area and  
,great ,lakes ,agency4  7#e7 ,the ,state
 of ,michigan recognized the ,tribe in  
#aiif4  7#f7 ,in #aiig1 the ,michigan   
,indian ,land ,claims ,settlement ,act  
7,public ,law #aje-adc7 reserved a      
percentage of the funds appropriated for

 payment of land claims to newly        
recognized or reaffirmed tribes         
described in section #aaj4 ,section #aaj
 of that law states that eligible       
non-recognized tribes are those--  7,a7 
that are signatory to either the #ahcf  
,treaty or the #ahee ,treaty2  7,b7     
whose members are predominately         
,chippewa and ,ottawa2 and  7,c7 that   
file a documented petition by ,december 
#ae1 #bjjj4  7#g7 ,the ,tribe was the   
only unrecognized ,michigan tribe that  
met the requirements of section #aaj of 
the ,michigan ,indian ,land ,claims     
,settlement ,act4  7#h7 ,the ,tribe was 
instrumental in the filing of the       
original land claim and is comprised of 
descendants of members who signed the   
,treaties of #ahbj1 #ahcf1 and #ahee4   
7#i7 ,the ,tribe filed a fully          
documented petition with the ,bureau of 
,indian ,affairs on ,december #h1 #bjjj1
 and thus met the ,act's filing         
deadline4  7#aj7 ,after the ,tribe filed
 its petition in #bjjj1 the ,bureau of  

,indian ,affairs did not issue a        
technical assistance letter until #bjje4
 ,the ,tribe responded fully in #bjjf1  
but still has not been recognized4      
7#aa7 ,the ,bureau of ,indian ,affairs  
did not meet its legal requirement under
 the ,michigan ,indian ,land ,claims    
,settlement ,act to recognize the       
,tribe1 and the ,tribe is still in the  
recognition process almost #bf years    
later4  7#ab7 ,the ,tribe met all of the
 criteria for distribution of the       
judgment funds reserved for an          
unrecognized tribe under section #aaj of
 the ,michigan ,indian ,land ,claims    
,settlement ,act4 ,however1 the tribal  
funds reverted back to the ,treasury1   
which was a gross miscarriage of justice
 because the ,tribe was a full          
participant in the claims litigation    
before the ,indian ,claim ,commission   
that gave rise to the judgment award4   
7#ac7 ,for every year that the ,bureau  
of ,indian ,affairs does not act on the 
,tribe's petition1 the ,tribe is unable 

to meet any needs for its members for   
social services1 education1 housing and 
elder care4  7#ad7 ,the ,tribe filed for
 reorganization of its existing ,tribal 
governments in #aice under the ,act of  
,june #ah1 #aicd 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #dfa et 
seq4 7commonly referred to as the       
,indian ,reorganization ,act774 ,federal
 agents who visited the ,tribe1         
including ,commissioner of ,indian      
,affairs ,john ,collier1 attested to the
 continued social and political         
existence of the ,tribe and concluded   
that the ,tribe was eligible for        
reorganization4 ,due to a lack of       
,federal appropriations to implement the
 provisions of the ,indian              
,reorganization ,act1 the ,tribe was    
denied the opportunity to reorganize4   
7#ae7 ,in #aici1 agents of the ,federal 
,government made an administrative      
decision not to provide services or     
extend the benefits of the ,indian      
,reorganization ,act to any ,indian     
tribes in ,michigan's lower peninsula4  

7#af7 ,in spite of such denial1 the     
,tribe continued their political and    
social existence with a viable ,tribal  
government4 ,the ,tribe1 along with     
other ,michigan ,odawa_/,ottawa groups1 
including the ,little ,traverse ,bay    
,bands of ,odawa ,indians1 the ,grand   
,traverse ,band of ,ottawa and ,chippewa
 ,indians1 and the ,little ,river ,band 
of ,ottawa ,indians1 formed the         
,northern ,michigan ,ottawa ,association
 in #aidh4 ,the ,association            
subsequently pursued a successful land  
claim with the ,indian ,claims          
,commission4  7#ag7 ,between #aidh and  
#aige1 the ,tribe carried out many of   
its governmental functions through the  
,northern ,michigan ,ottawa             
,association1 while retaining individual
 ,tribal control over local decisions4  
7#ah7 ,the ,federal ,government1 the    
governments of the ,state of ,michigan1 
and local governments have had          
continuous dealings with the recognized 
political leaders of the ,tribe from    

#ahba to present4  #c4 ,definitions ,in 
this ,act3  7#a7 ,member ,the term      
member means an individual who is       
enrolled in the ,tribe pursuant to      
section #g4  7#b7 ,secretary ,the term  
,secretary means the ,secretary of the  
,interior4  7#c7 ,tribe ,the term ,tribe
 means the ,grand ,river ,bands of      
,ottawa ,indians of ,michigan4  #d4     
,federal recognition  7a7 ,in general   
,federal recognition of the ,tribe is   
hereby affirmed4  7b7  ,effect of       
,federal laws  ,except as otherwise     
provided in this ,act1 all ,federal laws
 7including regulations7 of general     
application to ,indians and ,indian     
tribes1 including the ,act of ,june #ah1
 #aicd 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #eaja et seq42    
commonly known as the ,indian           
,reorganization ,act71 shall apply to   
the ,tribe and members4  #e4 ,federal   
services and benefits  7a7 ,in general  
,the ,tribe and each member shall be    
eligible for all services and benefits  
provided by the ,united ,states to      

,indians and federally recognized       
,indian tribes1 without regard to-- 7#a7
 the existence of a reservation for the 
,tribe2 or  7#b7 the location of the    
residence of any member on or near an   
,indian reservation4  7b7 ,service area 
,for purposes of the delivery of        
services and benefits to members1 the   
service area of the ,tribe shall be     
,newaygo1 ,oceana1 ,kent1 ,muskegon and 
,ottawa ,counties in ,michigan4  #f4    
,reaffirmation of rights  7a7 ,in       
general ,nothing in this ,act diminishes
 any right or privilege of the ,tribe or
 any member that existed before the date
 of the enactment of this ,act4  7b7    
,claims of tribe ,except as otherwise   
provided in this ,act1 nothing in this  
,act alters or affects any legal or     
equitable claim of the ,tribe to enforce
 any right or privilege reserved by1 or 
granted to1 the ,tribe that was         
wrongfully denied to1 or taken from1 the
 ,tribe before the date of the enactment
 of this ,act4  #g4 ,membership roll    

7a7 ,in general ,as a condition of      
receiving recognition1 services1 and    
benefits pursuant to this ,act1 not     
later than #ah months after the date of 
the enactment of this ,act1 the ,tribe  
shall submit to the ,secretary a        
membership roll consisting of the name  
of each individual enrolled as a member 
of the ,tribe4  7b7 ,determination of   
membership ,the qualifications for      
inclusion on the membership roll of the 
,tribe shall be determined in accordance
 with the ,tribe's governing documents4 
7c7 ,maintenance of roll ,the ,tribe    
shall maintain the membership roll under
 this section4  #h4 ,acquisition of land
  7a7 ,homeland ,the ,secretary shall-- 
7#a7 acquire1 for the benefit of the    
,tribe1 trust title to land within      
,muskegon1 ,newaygo1 or ,oceana         
,counties2 and  7#b7 accept into trust  
any real property located in those      
counties for the benefit of the ,grand  
,river ,bands of ,ottawa ,indians1 if-- 
7,a7 conveyed or otherwise transferred  

to the ,secretary2 and  7,b7 at the time
 of such acceptance1 there are not      
adverse legal claims on such property1  
including outstanding liens1 mortgages  
or taxes owed4  7b7 ,additional         
acquisitions2 trust land ,the ,secretary
 may-- 7#a7 acquire additional land for 
the benefit of the ,tribe pursuant to   
section #e of the ,act of ,june #ah1    
7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #eajh2 commonly known as 
the ,indian ,reorganization ,act72 and  
7#b7 take into trust for the benefit of 
the ,tribe any land held in fee by the  
,tribe1 if such lands are located within
 the boundaries of1 ,kent and ,ottawa   
,counties in ,michigan4  7c7 ,deadline  
for determination ,the ,secretary       
shall--  7#a7 make a final written      
determination not later than #ah months 
of the date which the ,tribe submits a  
request for land to be taken into trust 
under subsection 7a77#a72 and  7#b7     
immediately make the determination under
 paragraph 7#a7 available to the ,tribe4
  7d7 ,reservation status ,any land     

taken into trust for the benefit of the 
,tribe pursuant to this paragraph shall1
 upon request of the ,tribe1 be         
considered part of the reservation of   
the ,tribe4