Bill Details
HR.2388 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2026-05-20 - Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Introduced Date
2025-03-26
Policy Area
Native Americans
Committees
View committees (2)
Sponsors
8
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would transfer about 1,082.63 acres of federal land in Washington State into trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Once transferred, the land would become part of the tribe’s reservation. The bill is meant to restore tribal lands and support the tribe’s use and management of the area. It also protects existing rights, limits the land from being used for gaming, and says the bill does not change any treaty rights.
- The land comes from federal property in and around Olympic National Park, as shown on a specific map from December 2021.
- The Secretary of the Interior must survey the land and set the final boundaries after the bill becomes law.
- Minor boundary fixes and small corrections to maps, acreage, or land descriptions are allowed.
- The transferred land cannot be used for gambling under federal Indian gaming law, and the bill does not affect rights under the Treaty of Point No Point.
Official Summaries
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act
This bill takes approximately 1,082.63 acres of specified lands in Washington into trust for the benefit of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Land taken into trust shall be part of the tribe's reservation.
Further, the bill prohibits gaming on the land taken into trust.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2388 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2388
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 10, 2025
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To take certain Federal land in the State of Washington into trust for
the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project
Lands Restoration Act''.
SEC. 2. LAND TAKEN INTO TRUST FOR THE LOWER ELWHA KLALLAM TRIBE.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Reservation.--The term ``Reservation'' means the Lower
Elwha Indian Reservation, also known as the Lower Elwha
Reservation, located in the State of Washington.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(3) Tribe.--The term ``Tribe'' means the Lower Elwha Tribal
Community, also known as the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, located
in the State of Washington.
(b) Land Held in Trust.--
(1) In general.--Subject to all valid existing rights of
the United States, the approximately 1,082.63 acres of Federal
land generally depicted as ``NPS Parcels to be Transferred to
Tribe'' on the map entitled ``Olympic National Park Proposed
Transfer of Elwha Lands'', numbered 149/178020, and dated
December 2021 is hereby taken into and held in trust by the
United States for the benefit of the Tribe.
(2) Inclusion in reservation.--The land taken into trust
under paragraph (1) shall be part of the Reservation.
(3) Law applicable to certain land.--The land taken into
trust under paragraph (1) shall not be subject to any
requirements for valuation, appraisal, or equalization under
any Federal law.
(c) Land Management.--Of the land taken into and held in trust
under subsection (b)(1), the portion of the Elwha River subject to
section 3(c)(3) of the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration
Act (Public Law 102-495; 106 Stat. 3175) shall be managed in accordance
with subsection (b) of the first section of the Wild and Scenic Rivers
Act (16 U.S.C. 1271), except for necessary modifications under section
3(c)(3) of the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act
(Public Law 102-495; 106 Stat. 3175).
(d) Map and Survey.--
(1) Boundary adjustment; survey.--As soon as practicable
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
conduct a survey to define the boundaries of the land taken
into and held in trust under subsection (b)(1).
(2) Adjustments.--The Secretary may--
(A) make minor boundary adjustments to the land
taken into and held in trust under subsection (b)(1);
and
(B) correct any minor errors in any map, acreage
estimate, or description of that land.
(e) Gaming Prohibition.--No land taken into and held in trust for
the benefit of the Tribe under this section shall be considered Indian
lands for the purpose of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C.
2701 et seq.).
SEC. 3. NO IMPACT ON TREATY RIGHTS.
Nothing in this Act affects treaty rights under the Treaty between
the United States of America and the S'Klallams Indians, concluded at
Point no Point, Washington Territory, January 26, 1855 (12 Stat. 933)
(commonly known as the ``Treaty of Point No Point'').
Passed the House of Representatives December 9, 2025.
Attest:
KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,
Clerk.