[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 211 (Monday, December 15, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H5886-H5888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1720
PIT RIVER LAND TRANSFER ACT OF 2025
Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2400) to take certain Federal land in the State of
California into trust for the benefit of the Pit River Tribe, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2400
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
[[Page H5887]]
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Pit River Land Transfer
Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. LAND TO BE TAKEN INTO TRUST.
(a) Transfer of Four Corners Federal Land.--
(1) In general.--Subject to valid existing rights, the
Four Corners Federal land is hereby taken into trust by the
Secretary for the benefit of the Tribe.
(2) Survey.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall
provide to the Secretary a complete survey of the Four
Corners Federal land.
(b) Administration.--Upon being taken into trust under
this section, the lands taken into trust by the Secretary for
the benefit of the Tribe shall be--
(1) considered part of the Pit River Tribe Reservation;
and
(2) administered by the Secretary in accordance with the
laws and regulations generally applicable to property held in
trust by the United States for an Indian Tribe.
(c) Gaming Prohibited.--Land taken into trust under this
section shall not be used for any class II gaming or class
III gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C.
2701 et seq.) (as those terms are defined in section 4 of
that Act (25 U.S.C. 2703)).
(d) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) Four corners federal land.--
(A) In general.--The term ``Four Corners Federal land''
means the approximately 583.79 acres of land managed by the
Forest Service generally depicted within the ``Proposed Land
Conveyance'' boundary on the Map, including improvements and
appurtenances thereon.
(B) Exclusion.--The term ``Four Corners Federal land''
does not include the approximately 20.03 acres of roads,
highways, and public rights-of-way subject to existing
easements generally depicted within the ``Proposed Land
Conveyance'' boundary on the Map.
(2) Map.--The term ``Map'' means the map titled
``Proposed Land Conveyance to the Pit River Tribe'' prepared
by the Forest Service and dated November 6, 2024.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the
Secretary of the Interior.
(4) Tribe.--The term ``Tribe'' means the Pit River Tribe,
California (includes XL Ranch, Big Bend, Likely, Lookout,
Montgomery Creek, and Roaring Creek Rancherias).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Minnesota (Mr. Stauber) and the gentleman from Puerto Rico (Mr.
Hernandez) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota.
General Leave
Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 2400, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Minnesota?
There was no objection.
Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2400, the Pit River Land Transfer Act of 2025,
introduced by Representative LaMalfa, would place approximately 584
acres of U.S. Forest Service land, commonly known as the Four Corners,
into trust for the Pit River Tribe.
After decades of conflict and loss, the Pit River Tribe was federally
recognized in 1976. The Pit River Tribe consists of 11 different
California Tribal bands and resides on a 100-square-mile reservation.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Tribe aimed to regain control of
the Four Corners property near Burney, California.
Over the years, the Tribe repeatedly tried to regain the Four Corners
land from Federal ownership but has been unsuccessful. Although the
land is now owned by the U.S. Forest Service, it is ancestral to the
Pit River Tribe.
The Tribe wishes to reacquire its ancestral lands and eventually
build an interpretive center there. Gaming on these lands, pursuant to
the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, would be prohibited.
I applaud Mr. LaMalfa for working hard with the Tribe to develop H.R.
2400.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, the Pit River Land Transfer Act will transfer
approximately 583 acres of land into trust for the benefit of the Pit
River Tribe in northern California.
This land, known as the Four Corners property, is currently managed
by the U.S. Forest Service, and it is a site of great historic and
cultural significance within the Tribe's ancestral territory.
In 1970, members of the Tribe peacefully occupied Four Corners to
advocate for the return of their ancestral homeland. This occupation
was met with violence by authorities and remains a historic event in
the Tribe's fight to restore their homelands and sovereignty.
H.R. 2400 will return the Four Corners property to the Tribe,
allowing them to steward the land and develop an interpretive center to
share their history and culture. In addition, this land will provide
the Tribe with opportunities for economic development, education, and
environmental stewardship.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. LaMalfa), the lead sponsor of this bill.
Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota and
the gentleman from Puerto Rico for all of us being able to pull
together on this piece of legislation.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2400 is something that has been long overdue. The
Pit River Tribe has been very patient and oftentimes not treated very
well in the process of establishing that they would like to, once
again, own this land.
The 580 acres known as the Four Corners are actually along 299 in
eastern Shasta County. It is between the towns of Burney and Fall River
Mills in northeast California and, of course, will become part of their
reservation.
This legislation promotes local stewardship, economic development,
and Tribal sovereignty by placing this modest piece of land back into
trust for the Tribe. It is something they really pursued for a lot of
years.
What we have tried to encourage here is local stewardship. Our Tribes
can provide a very valuable part in either helping or supplanting the
Forest Service on the lands that they are not managing as rapidly or as
well as I would like to see. We are looking forward to greater
stewardship and the opportunities for the Tribe.
It is really a physical and spiritual landmark for the Tribe, central
to their identity and ability to thrive and grow on their own ancestral
lands. Their ties to the land go back many, many centuries. It holds
deep spiritual and historical value to them.
It was a focal point of activism, as mentioned, during the seventies,
where Tribal members, asserting their rights, faced unjust arrest and
bureaucratic hurdles, with a lot of perseverance to get here today.
The Pit River Tribe has pursued every legal and administrative avenue
to acquire this land, facing endless bureaucratic delays.
This bill would put an end to that and empower the Tribe to lead on
land stewardship, cultural preservation, and future development
efforts, which would be an opportunity for everybody who travels the
area.
Owning the Four Corners will allow the Tribe to build, as mentioned,
an interpretive center so it can educate the public on the history of
the Tribe and other Tribes in the area, as well as better land
stewardship.
The conservation that will come with the process will honor their
ancestral past, present, and future. It strengthens their regional
stewardship and, again, will improve land management for all of us to
enjoy and make a little more fire safe. It will also help to support
their self-determination.
Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone in this Congress to vote for H.R. 2400.
Mr. HERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2400 would place approximately 584
acres of U.S. Forest Service land, referred to as the Four Corners,
into trust for the Pit River Tribe. The Tribe has attempted to pursue
this ask through administrative process, but it is time for Congress to
assist legislatively.
Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 2400, as amended.
[[Page H5888]]
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________