HR 1829: To require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site to Gila County, Arizona.

HR 1829 in plain English: This bill directs the U.S. Forest Service to transfer approximately 232.9 acres of National Forest System land in the Tonto National Forest, Arizona, to Gila County at no cost. The transfer would occur upon the county's written request, with no warranties provided by the federal government. If the land stops being used for veterans' purposes, ownership reverts to the United States.

Stated purpose

This bill directs the U.S. Forest Service to transfer approximately 232.9 acres of National Forest land in the Tonto National Forest to Gila County, Arizona, at no cost, so the county can use it to serve and support military veterans.

Key points

• Transfers approximately 232.9 acres of Tonto National Forest land to Gila County, Arizona at no cost
• County must submit a written request to receive the land
• Land must be used for serving veterans or it reverts to federal ownership
• Federal government provides no covenant or warranty with the transfer

Arguments supporters make

• Transferring unused federal administrative land to local government puts the property to productive use serving veterans, a group that has earned community support.
• Local governments are often better positioned than federal agencies to manage and develop land for community-specific needs like veteran services.
• The reversion clause protects taxpayers by ensuring the land returns to federal ownership if Gila County ever stops using it for veterans.

Arguments opponents make

• Transferring nearly 233 acres of National Forest land to a county at no cost removes it from public ownership without any payment to taxpayers who collectively own it.
• The federal government is waiving its normal duty to disclose or remedy environmental conditions on the property, potentially leaving Gila County and future users exposed to unknown contamination risks.
• Once public land is conveyed away, even with a reversion clause, meaningful federal oversight depends entirely on the discretion of future administrations, offering uncertain long-term protection.

Tradeoffs

Transferring this land may benefit local veterans and free federal resources tied to an administrative site, but it permanently removes publicly owned National Forest acreage from federal management and releases the government from standard environmental accountability for the property.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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