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A bill to take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Pechanga Band of Indians, and for other purposes.

To take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Pechanga Band of Indians, and for other purposes.

Introduced Mar 11, 2026

Latest action (Mar 11, 2026) Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S1011)

Referred to
Indian Affairs Committee
Policy area
Native Americans
Issues
Civil Rights

Summary

This bill transfers approximately 860 acres of federally-managed land in Riverside County, California into trust status for the Pechanga Band of Indians. The land will become part of the tribe's reservation and be administered according to federal trust land laws. The land must be maintained as open space and can only be used for purposes consistent with open space maintenance or for protecting and preserving archaeological, cultural, and wildlife resources on the property. The bill prohibits the land from being used for gambling under federal gaming laws and preserves all existing water rights and service agreements on the land.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
1 cosponsor

Actions (2)
  1. Mar 11, 2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S1011) · senate
  2. Mar 11, 2026 Introduced in Senate

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • HR 5682 — To take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Pechanga Band of Indians, and for other purposes. · Passed House Jun 3, 2026 · Cong. 119 88%
  • S 2871 — Pit River Land Transfer Act of 2025 · Introduced Jun 3, 2026 · Cong. 119 70%
  • HR 8483 — Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Act of 2026 · Introduced May 21, 2026 · Cong. 119 68%
  • S 4368 — Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Water Rights Settlement Act · Introduced Jul 29, 2026 · Cong. 119 67%
  • HR 6917 — To take certain land into trust for the benefit of the Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians. · Introduced Jun 9, 2026 · Cong. 119 66%
  • S 2735 — Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Land Transfer Act of 2025 · Introduced May 20, 2026 · Cong. 119 65%

Full text

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 11, 2026

Mr. Padilla (for himself and Mr. Schiff) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs

A BILL

To take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Pechanga Band of Indians, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. TRANSFER OF LAND INTO TRUST FOR THE PECHANGA BAND OF INDIANS.

(a) In General.—Subject to valid existing rights and the conditions described in subsection (c), the covered land is hereby taken into trust for the benefit of the Tribe.

(b) Administration.—The land taken into trust under subsection (a) shall be—

(1) part of the reservation of the Tribe; and

(2) administered in accordance with the laws and regulations generally applicable to property held in trust by the United States for the benefit of an Indian Tribe.

(c) Conditions.—

(1) In general.—The land taken into trust under subsection

(a) shall be—

(A) subject to all valid encumbrances, liens, rights-of-way, reciprocal road rights-of-way agreements, licenses, leases, permits, and easements existing on the date of the enactment of this Act;

(B) maintained as open space; and

(C) used only for—

(i) purposes consistent with the maintenance of the land as open space; and

(ii) the protection, preservation, and maintenance of the archaeological, cultural, and wildlife resources on the land.

(2) Construction and maintenance.—Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the construction or maintenance of utilities or structures that are—

(A) consistent with the maintenance of the land taken into trust under subsection (a) as open space; and

(B) constructed for the protection, preservation, and maintenance of the archaeological, cultural, and wildlife resources on the land.

(3) Prohibition on gaming.—The land taken into trust under subsection (a) shall not be used for any class II gaming or class III gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (as those terms are defined in section 4 of that Act (25 U.S.C. 2703)).

(d) Rights and Agreements.—Nothing in this Act shall alter, or require the alteration of, any existing water rights or service agreements.

(e) Map on File.—The Map shall be kept on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land Management.

(f) Definitions.—In this Act:

(1) Covered land.—The term “covered land” means all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the approximately 860 acres of land in Riverside County, California, administered by the Bureau of Land Management and generally depicted as “Proposed Pechanga Land Conveyance Parcel” on the Map.

(2) Map.—The term “Map” means the map titled “BLM Lands into Trust for the Pechanga Band of Indians”, and dated August 21, 2025.

(3) Secretary.—The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior.

(4) Tribe.—The term “Tribe” means the Pechanga Band of Indians. <all>

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