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HR 197 119th Congress House Public Lands and Natural Resources Forests, forestry, trees Geography and mapping Land transfers Minnesota

Lake Winnibigoshish Land Exchange Act of 2025

Introduced: January 3, 2025 Introduced by: Stauber, Pete Republican · Minnesota See on congress.gov
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 Everywhere this bill has been 12 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Oct 27, 2025
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 218.
Oct 27, 2025
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Reported by Senator Boozman without amendment. Without written report.
Oct 21, 2025
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Jan 22, 2025
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Jan 21, 2025
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H242-244)
Jan 21, 2025
Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
Jan 21, 2025
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H242-243)
Jan 21, 2025
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H242-243)
Jan 21, 2025
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Jan 21, 2025
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 197.
Jan 3, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Jan 3, 2025
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Lake Winnibigoshish Land Exchange Act of 2025

This bill directs the Forest Service to exchange specified land along the shoreline of Lake Winnibigoshish (commonly known as Lake Winnie) in the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota for specified land owned by Big Winnie Land and Timber, LLC (BWLT), if BWLT offers to make the exchange. The land acquired by the Forest Service must be added to and managed as part of Chippewa National Forest. 

The bill outlines requirements and conditions for the exchange. For example, the Forest Service must reserve an easement for road access to certain land in the forest. The bill also conditions the exchange on the satisfactory completion of a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment by BWLT before the nonfederal land is accepted in the exchange.

In addition, the exchange must be for equal value or the values must be equalized by a cash payment, subject to an exception.

Finally, the bill directs BWLT to pay all closing costs associated with the exchange.

What's happening now October 27, 2025

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 218.

 Hearings & markups 1
 Bill text 4 versions

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Cosponsors 2
All 2 Republican 2
R
Fischbach, Michelle
Minnesota · Jan 6, 2025
 R
Finstad, Brad
Minnesota · Jan 3, 2025
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 197: Lake Winnibigoshish Land Exchange Act of 2025. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-197/
MLA
"H.R. 197: Lake Winnibigoshish Land Exchange Act of 2025." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-197/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 197, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-197/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 197: Lake Winnibigoshish Land Exchange Act of 2025](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-197/)
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