July 17 2024. Winnebago Land Transfer Act Signed Into Law.
WINNEBAGO, NE – President Biden signed the Winnebago Land Transfer Act into law on July 12, 2024, bringing a close to the Tribe’s 50-year effort to restore approximately 1,600 acres of land taken by the federal government in the 1970s.
“On this historic day, I am thankful for our ancestors, including the late Louis LaRose, who fought tirelessly to secure and protect our homelands and taught us to how to be resilient and persistent,” said Winnebago Chairwoman Victoria Kitcheyan. It has been an honor to carry on their work and have the bill signed into law in their honor,” Chairwoman Kitcheyan continued.
The bill that President Biden signed into law, H.R. 1240, was introduced by Representative Randy Feenstra of Iowa and cosponsored by the entire Nebraska and Iowa Congressional Delegations as well as Representative Sharice Davids — a member of the Winnebago’s sister tribe, the Ho-Chunk Nation.
The House of Representatives passed the bill by voice vote on February 5, 2024. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), along with Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Joni Ernst (R-IA), introduced an identical bill and ushered the House bill through the Senate.
On June 20, 2024, Senator Fischer requested unanimous consent that the Senate approve the Winnebago Land Transfer Act, which resulted in the bill being sent to the President. The bill was subsequently presented to President Biden who signed the bill into law.
The enactment of the Winnebago Land Transfer Act is a testament to the Winnebago peoples’ persistence, determination, and commitment to being a good neighbor.
