HR 3925: Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation Land Exchange Act

HR 3925 in plain English: This bill authorizes a land exchange between the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation and the federal government in California. The tribe would convey approximately 1,460 acres to the federal government in exchange for approximately 1,475 acres of National Forest System land. As a condition of the exchange, the tribe must agree to preserve the historical and cultural integrity of the Arrowhead landmark site near San Bernardino.

Stated purpose

This bill authorizes a voluntary land exchange between the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation and the federal government, swapping roughly 1,460 acres of tribal land for roughly 1,475 acres of National Forest land in San Bernardino County, California.

Key points

• Authorizes an exchange of roughly 1,460 acres from the tribe for roughly 1,475 acres of National Forest land
• The Forest Service must complete the land transfer within 120 days of receiving the tribe's offer
• The tribe must enter a preservation agreement for the Arrowhead landmark site within 120 days of enactment
• Land acquired by the Forest Service becomes part of the San Bernardino National Forest

Arguments supporters make

• The exchange returns land with deep ancestral and cultural meaning to the tribe while adding comparable acreage to the National Forest, so both sides gain land that is more useful to them.
• Requiring the tribe to formally protect the Arrowhead landmark ensures a well-known local landmark is preserved for the broader community as part of the deal.
• The voluntary, negotiated nature of the exchange — with surveys, public maps, and recorded agreements — provides transparency and protects both parties' interests.

Arguments opponents make

• The federal government conveys 15 more acres than it receives, which critics could view as an unequal exchange that should require a clearer accounting of whether the lands are of comparable value.
• Transferring National Forest land out of public ownership reduces land that all Americans currently have the right to access and use, even if replacement acreage is added elsewhere in the forest.
• The preservation agreement for the Arrowhead landmark relies on terms 'mutually agreed upon,' leaving the scope of protection undefined in the law itself, which could weaken enforcement over time.

Tradeoffs

The public gains new National Forest acreage and a landmark preservation commitment, but gives up a larger parcel of existing National Forest land and some degree of open public access to the acres transferred to the tribe; the tribe gains ancestral land but takes on survey costs and a binding preservation obligation.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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