HR6917-119

What This Bill Does

This bill transfers approximately 3,156 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in southern Nevada into trust for the Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians and makes the land part of the Tribe’s reservation. Interior must complete a boundary survey within 180 days. As a condition of trust acquisition, the Tribe must grant an approximately 300-foot-wide right-of-way to a qualified electric utility for high-voltage transmission facilities consistent with existing renewable-energy transmission agreements on the Snow Mountain Reservation. The bill prohibits Class II and Class III gaming on the land, does not affirm or deny federal reserved water rights, preserves any state-law water claims, leaves the March 2021 Intergovernmental Agreement between the Tribe and the City of Las Vegas in place, and repeals a related 2015 defense authorization land provision.

Who Benefits and How

The Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians benefits because the land becomes trust land and part of the reservation. Tribal government programs benefit from a larger land base for non-gaming uses. A qualified electric utility benefits from a required 300-foot right-of-way for high-voltage transmission connected to existing renewable-energy agreements. Renewable-energy transmission projects benefit from clearer land rights on the Snow Mountain Reservation. The City of Las Vegas benefits because the bill preserves the March 2021 intergovernmental agreement.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Interior Department and BLM staff must complete the trust transfer and boundary survey. The Tribe must grant the transmission right-of-way within 30 days after enactment and cannot conduct Class II or Class III gaming on the land. State and local water administrators may need to account for preserved state-law water claims. Federal land managers lose direct BLM management authority over the covered land once it is held in trust.

Key Provisions

• Transfers approximately 3,156 acres of BLM land into trust for the Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians.
• Adds the covered land to the Tribe’s reservation and requires Interior to complete a boundary survey within 180 days.
• Requires the Tribe to grant a 300-foot right-of-way for high-voltage transmission facilities.
• Prohibits Class II and Class III gaming on the trust land.
• Preserves state-law water claims and the March 2021 Tribe-City of Las Vegas intergovernmental agreement.
• Repeals a related 2015 NDAA land provision.