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Allows the Department of the Interior to transfer small cemetery parcels located on Federal land at no cost to eligible recipients who have a historic or legal interest, including Indian tribes, local governments, and certain qualified land‑grant communities. Transferred parcels must continue to be used as cemeteries, may revert to the United States if used for other purposes, and some procedural costs can be waived for eligible recipients; federal protections for Native American graves and repatriation are preserved.
The bill makes it substantially easier for eligible tribes and certain land‑grant communities to obtain and protect cemetery land at no purchase cost—strengthening cultural and legal protections—while trading away some federal receipts, limiting future land‑use flexibility, and leaving questions of‑
Federally recognized tribes and qualifying New Mexico land‑grant communities can receive small cemetery parcels from the federal government at no purchase cost, making it materially easier for these communities to secure and manage local burial lands.
Tribal communities and families with historic burial interests retain legal protections (including NAGPRA safeguards) and are more likely to have burial sites and cultural practices preserved by keeping the land in cemetery use.
Tribes and local governments with demonstrated need can have some procedural costs or requirements waived by the Secretary, lowering administrative and financial barriers to obtaining and maintaining cemetery land.
Recipients (tribes, local governments, and land‑grant communities) risk losing conveyed cemetery land if it is later used for non‑cemetery purposes because the property can revert to the United States.
The bill’s eligibility limits (Federally recognized tribes and narrowly defined New Mexico land‑grant communities) exclude some non‑recognized tribes and other historic communities with burial interests from accessing conveyed cemetery parcels.
The requirement that conveyed land remain in cemetery use restricts future land‑use flexibility for communities and local governments, limiting their ability to repurpose land as needs change.
Introduced July 2, 2025 by Teresa Leger Fernandez · Last progress March 17, 2026