Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians Restoration Act of 2025

This bill confirms federal recognition of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians in Michigan. With recognition, the tribe and its members can receive all federal services and benefits given to federally recognized tribes, no matter whether the tribe has a reservation or where members live. For service delivery, the area covers Newaygo, Oceana, Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa Counties. It also protects any rights the tribe already had.

The tribe must submit and keep an official membership list. The Department of the Interior must take certain lands into trust for the tribe in Muskegon, Newaygo, or Oceana Counties, and may also take land into trust in Kent and Ottawa Counties. The department has deadlines to make trust decisions, and land taken into trust can be treated as part of the tribe’s reservation if the tribe asks.

• Who is affected: Members of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians in west Michigan.
• What changes: Federal recognition is affirmed; members gain access to federal programs; a membership roll is required; federal land-into-trust actions in named counties; existing rights are reaffirmed.
• Where: Newaygo, Oceana, Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa Counties in Michigan.
• When: The membership roll is due within 18 months of enactment, and Interior must make certain trust decisions within 18 months of a request.