North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act of 2023

The North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act of 2023 would allow North Dakota to relinquish state-owned land within Indian reservations and select equivalent federal land in exchange. The state would give up land within tribal reservations (which would then be taken into trust for the tribes) and receive federal land of equal value elsewhere in the state. The bill includes specific procedures for valuing the land, transferring ownership, and protecting tribal rights, while ensuring the transfer doesn't affect existing treaty rights or mineral leases. This legislation aims to fulfill a promise made to North Dakota in the 1889 Enabling Act while increasing tribal sovereignty over reservation lands.