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H.R. 4284119th CongressPassed one chamberLatest action Mar 17, 2026Decoded by AI · checked against the record
The plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
HR 4284 lets the Forest Service transfer cemetery land up to 40 acres on national forest to qualifying groups free of charge.
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HR 4284 would allow the U.S. Forest Service to transfer ownership of cemeteries on national forest land, up to 40 acres, to qualifying recipients at no cost. The transferred land must be used only as a cemetery, and the federal government can reclaim it if that condition is violated. Processing fees for the transfer can also be waived if the new owner cannot afford them.
Eligible recipients are state or local governments, federally recognized Native American tribes, and traditional New Mexico community land grants with a historical connection to the cemetery. Communities with burial grounds on Forest Service land that they do not currently own or control are most directly affected.
Federal land generally cannot be transferred without payment, so this bill creates a specific exception for burial sites. Without such a law, tribes, small towns, and historic New Mexico land grant communities have no legal path to ownership of cemeteries on forest land tied to their histories.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: it passed the House, and the official record shows nothing new since. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.