Forest Service opens Lake Tahoe land fund to Washoe Tribe partnership

What it does

This bill updates a 1980 law (the Santini-Burton Act) that lets the Forest Service buy land around Lake Tahoe. The modernization adds the Washoe Tribe as a partner in land acquisition and management, allows Forest Service funds to pay for ongoing land management (not just purchase), and lets the Forest Service transfer money to the Washoe Tribe, state/local governments, and regional agencies to manage acquired land and provide public access. The bill recognizes that the Washoe Tribe owns less than 0.5% of the Lake Tahoe Basin despite it being their homeland, and creates a structured process for annual spending plans based on environmental priorities.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is modernizing federal land acquisition and management authority to include tribal partnership and environmental stewardship. It is not a deregulation, subsidy, or carve-out; it is a structural expansion of who participates in public land management and what public funds can support.

What the text implies

• The bill allows Forest Service acquisition funds to be used for ongoing land management, potentially shifting budget priorities away from new acquisitions toward maintenance of existing holdings.
• Transfer of federal funds to the Washoe Tribe and state/local governments creates new administrative pathways and may require capacity-building in recipient organizations.
• The spending plan process ties land management to Tahoe Regional Planning Agency thresholds, making environmental outcomes dependent on that agency's technical standards and political consensus.
• Designation of land as 'of cultural significance to the Washoe Tribe' is not defined in the bill, leaving interpretation to future administrative action and potentially creating disputes over which lands qualify.

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

Who it affects

Ordinary citizens gain coordinated environmental management of a sensitive basin, public access to acquired land, and recognition of indigenous stewardship. The Washoe Tribe—historically excluded from land ownership in their homeland—gains a direct mechanism to acquire and manage culturally significant land. The bill creates transparency through annual spending plans and multi-stakeholder consultation.

Named in the bill

Forest Service, Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, State of California, State of Nevada, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Where it stands

3 cosponsors: 3 Democrats.

• Jan 27, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Jan 27, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources”
• Feb 12, 2026 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held”

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

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 3 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $60,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 10 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 61% of bills with at least one filing.

Catherine Cortez Masto, the sponsor, reported $291,134 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Douglas County Nevada — $20,000 on 1 filing
• Incline Village General Improvement District — $20,000 on 1 filing
• League to Save Lake Tahoe — $20,000 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.