A bill to provide for the equitable settlement of certain Indian land disputes regarding land in Illinois, and for other purposes.
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Would give the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma a one-year window to file a land claim in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims based on the 1805 Treaty of Grouseland, with the statute of limitations waived. In exchange, all other Miami Tribe land claims to Illinois territory — including future claims by tribal members and descendants — would be permanently extinguished.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would grant the U.S. Court of Federal Claims specific jurisdiction to hear and decide a land claim by the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma arising from the Treaty of Grouseland, signed August 21, 1805. The court would be required to consider the claim without regard to the statute of limitations — expressly including 28 U.S.C. § 2501 — or any other delay-based defense. This special jurisdictional grant would expire automatically if the tribe does not file a claim within one year of enactment.
In exchange for this legal window, the bill would permanently extinguish all other Illinois land claims of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, including those of any tribal member, descendant, or predecessor in interest, except for a claim actually filed under the new provision. The bill creates a single, time-limited settlement opportunity while foreclosing all other avenues for Illinois land recovery by the tribe.
Key provisions
- 1Would confer jurisdiction on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to hear the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma's Treaty of Grouseland land claim, waiving the statute of limitations and all delay-based defenses.
- 2Would terminate the special jurisdictional grant one year after enactment if the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma has not filed a qualifying land claim.
- 3Would permanently extinguish all other Illinois land claims of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, including claims by tribal members, descendants, and predecessors in interest.
Who would be affected
The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and its current members, descendants, and predecessors in interest who hold or may claim interests in Illinois land under the Treaty of Grouseland. The federal government would be the opposing party in any Court of Federal Claims litigation filed under the bill's new jurisdictional grant.
Why it matters
If the tribe files within the one-year window, it would gain a rare legal path to pursue a treaty-based land claim that would otherwise be time-barred after more than two centuries. If the tribe does not file, or once a judgment is rendered, the bill would permanently eliminate every remaining legal avenue for the tribe and its members to recover Illinois land — a significant and irreversible foreclosure of future rights.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends 28 U.S.C. § 2501 (Sec. 1(a)(1))
Supersedes the standard six-year statute of limitations for the Miami Tribe's Treaty of Grouseland land claim, requiring the court to proceed without regard to it.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- One-year deadline for the Miami Tribe to file a land claim before special jurisdiction expires
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates that enacting S. 550 would increase both revenues and direct spending by an insignificant amount (less than $500,000) over the 2025–2035 period, with no significant net effect on the deficit.
S. 550 would grant the U.S. Court of Federal Claims jurisdiction over the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma's land claim against the United States arising from the Treaty of Grouseland, while extinguishing all other current and future tribal claims to land in Illinois. CBO estimates the bill would increase both revenues and direct spending by an insignificant amount over the 2025–2035 period, driven solely by court filing and administrative fees. The bill contains an intergovernmental mandate — the extinguishment of the tribe's land claims — but CBO estimates the cost of that mandate would not exceed UMRA's annual threshold ($103 million in 2025). The bill contains no private-sector mandates.
How implementation would work
The bill is largely self-executing. Upon enactment, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma has one year to file a qualifying land claim in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. If filed, the court adjudicates the claim on the merits without applying the standard six-year statute of limitations (28 U.S.C. § 2501) or any delay-based defense. If no claim is filed within one year, the special jurisdiction lapses by its own terms. No rulemaking, agency action, or reporting requirement is established; the operative mechanism is the court proceeding itself.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Held at the desk.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill confers jurisdiction to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma's land claim arising under the Treaty of Grouseland. The court must render judgement without regard to the statute of limitations or any delay-based defense. This jurisdiction expires unless such a claim is filed within one year.
All other claims, including any future claims, of the tribe to land in Illinois are extinguished.Legislative subjects
Drug trafficking and controlled substances; Health programs administration and funding; Health technology, devices, supplies; Medical tests and diagnostic methods; Native Americans
Committee report
S. Rept. 119-76