Sponsors
The bill makes it easier for existing owners and the railroad to secure clear, private control and operational certainty over specific lands while raising transaction costs and restricting third-party or public acquisition and future federal land-use control.
Homeowners who are the recorded owners of affected parcels can buy out the federal reversionary interest at appraised fair market value, giving them full ownership control over their land.
Maintains Southern Pacific's established 50-foot-per-side right-of-way, preserving operational space for the railroad and reducing the risk of encroachment that could disrupt rail operations and services.
Prevents third parties from acquiring trackside land by adverse possession or abandonment claims, protecting property certainty for the railroad and reducing the likelihood of litigation over ownership.
Homeowners who purchase the federal interest must also pay survey, appraisal, and administrative costs, increasing out-of-pocket expenses for those buyers.
The bill restricts who can acquire or use certain lands — conveyances are limited to current record owners and railroad protections block neighbors or local governments from obtaining adjacent strip land — which can lock in past ownership claims, limit local development opportunities, and produce perceived unfairness for long‑time users.
Removing reversionary interests reduces federal control over certain parcels, which may limit future public uses, constraints, or management options for nearby communities and local governments.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Transfers federal reversionary interests in ~8.43 acres of BLM land in Sacramento to the record parcel owner(s) for fair market value, while preserving a railroad right-of-way and barring new adverse-possession claims.
Conveys the United States’ reversionary interests in about 8.43 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in Sacramento to the recorded parcel owner(s) if they request the interest and pay the appraised fair market value plus associated costs. The Secretary of the Interior must offer the interest within two years of a buyer’s request and must use federal appraisal standards; sale proceeds go to the Federal Land Disposal Account. Preserves an existing railroad right-of-way by ensuring it remains at least 50 feet on each side of track center and prevents validation of adverse-possession or prescription claims on the described land unless Southern Pacific previously conveyed those rights before enactment.
Introduced February 4, 2025 by Doris Matsui · Last progress March 4, 2026