Sponsor
Darrell Issa
Representative · R-CA
Representative · R-CA
The bill strengthens Barona tribal sovereignty and preserves existing public and emergency uses of the parcels by placing ~836 acres into trust, but it reduces local property tax revenue, bars potential casino development on those acres, and may shift which areas remain freely accessible to the public.
The Barona Band of Mission Indians (tribal community) gains ~836 acres placed into trust and added to its reservation, strengthening tribal sovereignty and self‑governance over that land.
Local recreational users and rural communities retain existing public recreational, scenic, scientific, and motorized trail access on roads and trails present at enactment, preserving outdoor recreation and travel patterns.
Current landowners, utilities, and local governments keep existing liens, rights-of-way, leases, easements, and service agreements in place, reducing legal uncertainty and protecting existing uses and infrastructure.
Local governments and taxpayers lose those parcels from the property tax rolls when placed into trust, potentially reducing local revenue for services like schools, roads, and emergency response.
The Barona Tribe and tribal members are prevented from using these parcels for Class II/III gaming, limiting a possible source of economic development, jobs, and revenue that casinos could have generated on that land.
Recreational users and rural residents may face new restrictions if tribal rules (established after the transfer) limit public access to areas that were previously open, changing how people use trails and roads.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Places three specified parcels into federal trust for the Barona Tribe, makes them reservation land, preserves existing rights, and prohibits Class II/III gaming.
Official title: To take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians of the Barona Reservation, California, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 23, 2026 by Darrell Issa · Last progress April 23, 2026
Places three specified parcels of land into trust under the United States for the benefit of the Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians, making that land part of the Tribe’s reservation and subject to federal trust-land law. The transfer preserves existing liens, rights‑of‑way, leases, permits, easements, public recreational and motorized access (subject to tribal rules and consultation), and emergency access for BLM and Forest Service personnel, and it expressly prohibits Class II and Class III gaming on the taken‑into‑trust land. The measure does not change existing water rights or service agreements and directs administrative jurisdiction of certain parcels to the Secretary of the Interior, with certain consultations with the Secretary of Agriculture for emergency access determinations.