Committee approves unanimous-consent package including cemetery conveyances and 99-year tribal leases
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Summary
By unanimous consent the committee advanced HR 4284 (Small Cemetery Conveyance Act) to facilitate conveyance of small historic cemeteries on federal lands, and HR 5910 to authorize up to 99-year leases for federally recognized tribes; sponsors said the bills are bipartisan and narrow in scope.
In the closing portion of the markup the chair presented a unanimous-consent package that included two bipartisan, largely noncontroversial measures.
Representative Leger Fernandez described HR 4284, the Small Cemetery Conveyance Act, as a technical fix allowing the Forest Service to transfer small parcels containing cemeteries to local communities, tribes or state and local governments without purchase or exchange. Supporters said the change would ease stewardship of historic cemeteries that predate federal land ownership.
Representative Hageman spoke in favor of HR 5910, which would extend the Long Term Leasing Act authority to permit any federally recognized tribe to enter into leases of trust land for up to 99 years. Supporters said the change would streamline financing and economic development for tribes.
Both measures were included in the unanimous-consent motion, ordered reported, and the committee allowed staff to make technical and conforming changes subject to minority approval.