Senate passes bill to give back land to Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously passed the Winnebago Land Transfer Act.

The bill would transfer 1,600 acres of land that were seized in the 1970s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was wrong to seize this land through eminent domain in the 1970s,” Sen. Deb Fischer, who sponsored the bill, said in a press release. “It’s time to make this right and finally return this land to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. I want to thank my colleagues for their unanimous, bipartisan support, and I look forward to seeing this bill signed into law.”

The bill now heads to the president’s desk.

“The Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to condemn and seize land from the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska was a classic case of government overreach,” said Sen. Pete Ricketts, a co-sponsor of the bill. “I’m grateful the Senate passed our bill to correct this wrong and ensure the land is returned to the Winnebago people. I urge President Biden to sign it.” 

An 1865 treaty established the Winnebago Reservation in northeast Nebraska along the Missouri River.

Due to shifts in the river, part of the reservation is now in Iowa.

In 1970, the Corps of Engineers condemned land on both the Nebraska and Iowa side of the river for a proposed recreation project.

The corps used eminent domain to acquire the land.

The Nebraska land was ultimately returned to the tribe, but the Iowa land remains under the corps’ jurisdiction.

But the corps has no objection to turning over control of the land, the press release said.

“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,” Chairwoman Victoria Kitchevan said in the release. “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 and help send this bill to the President in their honor.”