Summary
H.R. 837 would direct the U.S. Forest Service to transfer approximately 232.9 acres of National Forest System land in the Tonto National Forest to Gila County, Arizona. The land, known as the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site, would be conveyed to the county at no cost through a quitclaim deed, meaning the federal government would provide no warranties or guarantees about the property's condition.
The county would be required to use the transferred land exclusively for serving and supporting veterans. If the county ever stops using the land for this purpose, ownership would automatically revert back to the federal government at the Forest Service's discretion. This restriction ensures the land remains dedicated to veteran services as long as the county holds the property.
Gila County would bear all costs associated with the transfer, including surveying the land, conducting environmental and resource analyses, and performing historical preservation reviews as required by federal law. The bill has already passed the House and cleared committee in the Senate, making it eligible for a floor vote in that chamber. If enacted, this would represent a transfer of public land to local government control for a specific public purpose.
AI-generated summary
Lifecycle of the Bill
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
Feb 4, 2026
HearingSenateMeeting
Feb 4, 2026 · 14:30
Business meeting to consider S.90, to prohibit the use of funds by the Secretary of the Interior to finalize and implement certain travel management plans in the State of Utah, S.91, to improve Federal activities relating to wildfires, S.290, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to upgrade existing emergency communications centers in units of the National Park System to Next Generation 9-1-1 systems, S.291, to establish an interest-bearing account for the non-Federal contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, S.365, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to allow for additional entities to be eligible to complete the maintenance work on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado, S.446, to prohibit Big Cypress National Preserve from being designated as wilderness or as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, S.700 and H.R.837, bills to require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site to Gila County, Arizona, S.730, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of establishing the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center at the African Burial Ground National Monument, S.790, to redesignate the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming, as the "Barbara L. Cubin National Historic Trails Interpretive Center", S.791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, S.815, to designate the outdoor amphitheater at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, Virginia, as the "Rick Boucher Amphitheater", S.1319, to withdraw certain Federal land in the Pecos Watershed area of the State of New Mexico from mineral entry, S.1321, to amend the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to provide for the transfer of the Moab site to Grand County, Utah, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1353, to extend the authority for modifications to the Second Division Memorial in the District of Columbia, S.1413, to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act, S.1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S.1516, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Cahokia Mounds, Emerald Mounds, and Pulcher Mounds in the State of Illinois, S.1518 and H.R.1550, bills to redesignate Saratoga National Historical Park as Saratoga National Battlefield Park, S.1777, to amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park, to redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree National Park as the "Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center", S.1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, S.2102, to establish the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., National Historic Site, and S.2881, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of California.
Summary
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a business meeting on February 4, 2026, to consider a diverse package of 30 bills spanning public lands management, conservation efforts, and historic site designations. The bills addressed varied topics including travel management plans in Utah, wildfire response improvements, emergency communications upgrades in national parks, water conservation programs, wilderness designations, ranger district transfers, and the establishment or redesignation of historic sites and memorials across multiple states. No witnesses were listed for this business meeting, which is typical for sessions focused on committee consideration and procedural votes rather than substantive testimony. Business meetings differ from legislative hearings in that they involve committee members voting on bills rather than hearing public testimony. The bills ranged from relatively narrow measures, such as renaming interpretive centers and amphitheaters after notable figures, to more substantive policy changes affecting federal land management and conservation programs. The package included bills to designate new national historic sites, expand national park boundaries, establish memorial museums, and authorize funding for river restoration and species conservation initiatives. As with all committee business meetings, consideration of these bills does not guarantee their advancement. The committee's actions at this meeting would determine whether individual bills move forward for further consideration by the full Senate.
Video
Watch videoCommittee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
Feb 4, 2026
HearingSenateMeeting
Feb 4, 2026 · 14:30
Business meeting to consider S.90, to prohibit the use of funds by the Secretary of the Interior to finalize and implement certain travel management plans in the State of Utah, S.91, to improve Federal activities relating to wildfires, S.290, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to upgrade existing emergency communications centers in units of the National Park System to Next Generation 9-1-1 systems, S.291, to establish an interest-bearing account for the non-Federal contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, S.365, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to allow for additional entities to be eligible to complete the maintenance work on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado, S.446, to prohibit Big Cypress National Preserve from being designated as wilderness or as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, S.700 and H.R.837, bills to require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site to Gila County, Arizona, S.730, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of establishing the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center at the African Burial Ground National Monument, S.790, to redesignate the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming, as the "Barbara L. Cubin National Historic Trails Interpretive Center", S.791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, S.815, to designate the outdoor amphitheater at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, Virginia, as the "Rick Boucher Amphitheater", S.1319, to withdraw certain Federal land in the Pecos Watershed area of the State of New Mexico from mineral entry, S.1321, to amend the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to provide for the transfer of the Moab site to Grand County, Utah, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1353, to extend the authority for modifications to the Second Division Memorial in the District of Columbia, S.1413, to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act, S.1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S.1516, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Cahokia Mounds, Emerald Mounds, and Pulcher Mounds in the State of Illinois, S.1518 and H.R.1550, bills to redesignate Saratoga National Historical Park as Saratoga National Battlefield Park, S.1777, to amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park, to redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree National Park as the "Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center", S.1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, S.2102, to establish the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., National Historic Site, and S.2881, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of California.
Summary
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a business meeting on February 4, 2026, to consider a diverse package of 30 bills spanning public lands management, conservation efforts, and historic site designations. The bills addressed varied topics including travel management plans in Utah, wildfire response improvements, emergency communications upgrades in national parks, water conservation programs, wilderness designations, ranger district transfers, and the establishment or redesignation of historic sites and memorials across multiple states. No witnesses were listed for this business meeting, which is typical for sessions focused on committee consideration and procedural votes rather than substantive testimony. Business meetings differ from legislative hearings in that they involve committee members voting on bills rather than hearing public testimony. The bills ranged from relatively narrow measures, such as renaming interpretive centers and amphitheaters after notable figures, to more substantive policy changes affecting federal land management and conservation programs. The package included bills to designate new national historic sites, expand national park boundaries, establish memorial museums, and authorize funding for river restoration and species conservation initiatives. As with all committee business meetings, consideration of these bills does not guarantee their advancement. The committee's actions at this meeting would determine whether individual bills move forward for further consideration by the full Senate.
Video
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119th Congress
Introduced
Jan 31, 2025
