H.R. 4284 · Where this bill is now
In the Senate
Passed the House Mar 16, 2026. Received Mar 17, 2026; no Senate vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryForest Service can give cemeteries to communities
Ever wondered who manages cemeteries on federal land. This bill lets the Forest Service transfer cemetery land to states, local governments, Indian tribes, or community land grants without charging them. The transfer can include up to 40 acres of land used as a cemetery, plus up to 1 acre nearby. The land must stay a cemetery, or else it goes back to the Forest Service.
How it affects you
This mainly affects state and local governments, Indian tribes, and community organizations that want to take over cemeteries currently managed by the Forest Service. For people in those communities, it could mean their local cemetery gets transferred to an organization with a closer tie to it. The Forest Service can also waive certain costs if a community demonstrates financial need.
Read the official summary (Reported to House, Jan 14, 2026)
Small Cemetery Conveyance Act
This bill authorizes the Forest Service to convey, without a payment or exchange in land, a cemetery to a state government, local government, Indian tribe, or certain community land grant that has a bona fide interest or historic claim to the cemetery. This authorization applies to up to 40 acres of land that was used, or previously used, as a cemetery, including up to 1 acre adjacent to the land used as a cemetery.
The conveyed land must continue to be used as a cemetery. If it is not used for that purpose, the Forest Service may revert the land and any improvements back to the United States.
The Forest Service may waive certain conveyance costs upon the demonstrated need of a state government, local government, Indian tribe, or community land grant.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 4284
AN ACT
Small Cemetery Conveyance Act
Sponsor: Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM-3) · Introduced Jul 2, 2025 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · 4 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 17, 2026: “Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.”
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 4 official versions.