Sponsors (2)
The bill provides Gila County and veterans free land and greater transparency to expand veteran services but shifts cleanup and conveyance costs and liability to the county, reduces public forest land, and restricts future uses of the parcel.
Gila County and local veterans will receive ~232.9 acres at no purchase cost to create or expand facilities that serve veterans, enabling new or expanded veteran services locally.
The bill shifts the cost burden for surveys and required environmental/historic-preservation analyses to the county, reducing immediate federal expenditures.
Requires a map of the parcel to be filed and available for public inspection, increasing transparency about the land transfer and its location.
Because the land is conveyed by quitclaim without federal covenant/warranty or CERCLA protections, Gila County may be liable for contamination or cleanup costs if pollution is found.
The county must pay all conveyance-related costs (surveys, environmental and historic-preservation analyses), which could strain local budgets and divert funds from other services.
A reversionary requirement limits the land's permitted use to veteran services only and creates a risk of federal reversion if uses change, restricting broader community or economic uses of the parcel.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Transfers ~232.9 acres of Tonto National Forest land to Gila County by quitclaim deed at no purchase price if the county requests it within 180 days, subject to survey, conditions, and veteran-use limits.
Introduced February 25, 2025 by Mark Edward Kelly · Last progress February 25, 2025
Conveys about 232.9 acres of Tonto National Forest land in the Pleasant Valley Ranger District to Gila County, Arizona, by quitclaim deed at no purchase price if the county requests the transfer within 180 days of enactment. The county must pay all costs for surveying and environmental and historic reviews, and the land must be used to serve and support veterans or title may revert to the United States. The Secretary of Agriculture may correct minor map errors, will determine exact acreage and legal description by a satisfactory survey, and may impose other terms to protect U.S. interests; the conveyance is subject to valid existing rights and the Secretary is not required to provide a CERCLA warranty.