Pit River Land Transfer Act of 2025

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. 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.

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.

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. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa), the lead sponsor of this bill.

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.

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. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.