The U.S. House of Representatives considers H.R.423, the Pala Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Act, on February 6, 2023.

The bill places about 721 acres in California into trust for the Pala Band of Mission Indians. The land includes areas in and around Gregory Mountain, one of the tribe’s most important places.

“The reality is the Pala Band has taken what they have earned over the years in agriculture and from their gaming concession and are putting it back into their ancestral land,” said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California), the sponsor of H.R.423.

The bill was considered under a suspension of the rules, a process typically used for legislation that is non-controversial. It was approved by a voice vote.

H.R.423, or a companion version, must be considered and passed by the U.S. Senate before the bill can become law. S.277 is due to be considered by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs at a business meeting on February 15.