Arkansas county gets 0.81 acres of federal land for schools

What it does

This bill requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to transfer a small parcel of Forest Service land (0.81 acres in Perryville, Arkansas) to Perry County at no cost to the federal government. Perry County must pay all survey, environmental analysis, and legal compliance costs, and must use the property only for public purposes like education and youth development; if it fails to do so, the land reverts to the federal government.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative mechanism is a straightforward transfer of a small federal property parcel to a county government for public purposes, with clear reversion and use restrictions. This is routine public-lands legislation.

What the text implies

• The reversion clause gives the Secretary discretion (not automatic) to reclaim the land if use drifts from public purposes, creating potential future disputes over what constitutes compliant use.
• Perry County's obligation to pay all environmental and historic-preservation compliance costs may be substantial relative to the land's value, effectively shifting federal administrative burden to local government.
• The quitclaim deed (no warranty) means Perry County accepts the property 'as-is' with no federal liability for undisclosed environmental conditions, despite the environmental-analysis requirement.

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

Who it affects

The bill transfers underutilized federal land to a local government for public purposes at no federal cost, with strong reversion protections ensuring the land cannot be diverted to private use. Perry County bears all transaction costs, and the property is restricted to education and youth development, directly serving the public interest.

Named in the bill

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Perry County, Arkansas, Perryville, Arkansas

Where it stands

• May 5, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• May 5, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
• Jun 10, 2025 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Hearings Held”
• Jul 15, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Jul 15, 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 the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required)…”
• Dec 15, 2025 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Stauber moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”

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