H.R. 197 · Where this bill is now
In the Senate
Passed the House Jan 21, 2025. Received Jan 22, 2025; no Senate vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryForest Service trades land near Minnesota lake
This bill lets the Forest Service swap some of its shoreline property at Lake Winnibigoshish in Minnesota's Chippewa National Forest for land owned by a timber company, but only if the company offers to make the deal. Before the swap happens, the company has to check the environmental condition of its land, and the two sides have to agree the land values are equal or settle any difference with cash. The company also covers all costs for completing the exchange.
How it affects you
This is a land transfer that doesn't directly change things for most people. It mainly affects how that particular stretch of the Chippewa National Forest gets managed, shifting some shoreline property from federal to private ownership in exchange for other acreage.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Jan 3, 2025)
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.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 197
AN ACT
Lake Winnibigoshish Land Exchange Act of 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN-8) · Introduced Jan 3, 2025 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · 4 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Oct 27, 2025: “Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 218.”
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 4 official versions.