A bill 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.

This bill would ratify a settlement agreement resolving a decades-long land claim by the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation against New York State. The claim originated from an 1796 treaty that reserved certain lands for the Mohawks, but New York State took control of those lands. The Mohawks filed a lawsuit in 1982 seeking to recover the lands.

Under the settlement agreement, the bill would authorize the return of 3,500 acres of land to Akwesasne Mohawk territory and give the Mohawks the right to purchase an additional 14,000 acres from willing sellers in northern New York. The agreement also includes free tuition and mandatory fees for Akwesasne Mohawk students attending State University of New York institutions, the right to acquire nine megawatts of power at a preferred rate from the New York Power Authority, and would clear title on over 900 parcels burdened by more than $21 million in back taxes and penalties.

The settlement requires federal congressional approval because only the federal government can ratify agreements with sovereign Native nations. The House of Representatives passed similar legislation in December 2025, and this Senate bill would complete the federal ratification process. The settlement has been negotiated over decades and involves multiple parties including New York State, Franklin and St. Lawrence counties, the towns of Fort Covington and Bombay, and the New York Power Authority.