Congress restores 557 acres to California tribe after generations of federal control.

What it does

This bill transfers approximately 557 acres of federal forest land in California to the Pit River Tribe, placing it in federal trust for the tribe's benefit. The land becomes part of the tribe's reservation and is managed under standard federal Indian trust law, but cannot be used for gambling under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative mechanism is transferring federal land into trust status for a federally recognized Indian tribe, a standard form of tribal sovereignty and land-base restoration under federal Indian law.

What the text implies

• The gaming prohibition may limit the tribe's economic development options compared to other tribes with gaming revenue, potentially constraining tribal self-sufficiency.
• The 180-day survey requirement and mutual-agreement correction process create administrative dependencies on federal agencies, preserving some federal oversight even after trust transfer.
• The exclusion of 87 acres of roads and easements from the transfer preserves public access and federal utility rights, which may constrain the tribe's land-use autonomy in those corridors.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill restores tribal land sovereignty and economic self-determination for the Pit River Tribe, a federally recognized Indian nation. The gaming prohibition protects against potential negative externalities while preserving the tribe's core land-use and governance rights.

Who stands to gain

• Pit River Tribe (land base expansion, economic development potential)

Named in the bill

Pit River Tribe, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Four Corners Federal land, California

Where it stands

• Mar 27, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Mar 27, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources and Senate Committee on Indian Affairs · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
• Apr 30, 2025 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Hearings Held”
• Jul 23, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Jul 23, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent”
• Dec 15, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5886-5887)”
• Dec 15, 2025 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Stauber moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”
• Sep 30, 2026 — Passed both chambers · Congress.gov: “Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $10,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 2 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Doug LaMalfa, the sponsor, reported $279,010 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Pit River Tribe — $10,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.