To authorize, ratify, and confirm the Agreement of Settlement and Compromise to Resolve the Akwesasne Mohawk Land Claim in the State of New York, and for other purposes.

Sponsor

Summary

This bill recognizes and settles the Akwesasne land claim in northern New York. (Akwesasne is a Mohawk territory that extends into the United States and Canada, specifically New York, Ontario, and Quebec.)The bill authorizes, ratifies, and confirms a specified settlement agreement entered into by the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT), the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, the State of New York, Franklin and Saint Lawrence Counties in New York, the towns of Fort Covington and Bombay in New York, and the New York Power Authority. (Among its provisions, the settlement agreement restores land rights and provides access to land to SRMT, provides tuition assistance for tribal members to certain postsecondary institutions, and requires the New York Power Authority to make annual payments to SRMT.)Additionally, the bill authorizes, ratifies, and confirms any transfer of land, right-of-way, or easement that is the subject of claims in specified court cases.The bill also recognizes as Indian country any land owned or subsequently acquired by SRMT within the settlement acquisition areas. (The term Indian country, for purposes of criminal jurisdiction, generally refers to all lands within a tribal reservation, dependent Indian communities, and tribal allotments.)

Source: Congressional Research Service via Congress.gov · as of Jul 11, 2026

How it has moved

1. June 3, 2026Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held.
2. December 10, 2025Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
3. December 9, 2025Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
4. December 9, 2025On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5085)
5. December 9, 2025Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5085)
6. December 9, 2025DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2916.
7. December 9, 2025Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5085-5086)
8. December 9, 2025Mr. Crank moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
9. October 31, 2025Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 307.
10. October 31, 2025Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-355.
11. October 31, 2025Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-355.