Another Indian Country bill is up for consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives as the 118th Congress comes to a close.

S.3857, the Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act, authorizes the acquisition of about 172 acres in trust for the Jamul Indian Village. The once landless tribe would finally be able to expand its homelands in southern California if the bipartisan bill becomes law.

“For the Jamul people, what was once over 640 acres of ancestral lands has diminished to just six acres — one of the smallest reservations in the country,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) said last Thursday.

The U.S. Senate passed S.3857 on December 12 so it’s almost over the finish line. Once the House takes action, the bill can be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.

“The Kumeyaay Indians, including the Jamul Band, were landless for decade after decade after decade,” said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California), the sponsor of the House version of the bill, known as H.R.6443.

“In fact, if not for the generosity of one landowner who allowed some of the Jamul Indians to get the six acres that they originally placed in trust, they might still be landless,” Issa said when his bill cleared the House by a voice vote on April 9.

S.3857, however, contains new language regarding the possible acquisition of another 1.1 acres in trust for the tribe. So the House is taking up Padilla’s bill on Tuesday, according to the House Majority Leader’s calendar.

S.3857 wasn’t initially on the House Majority Leader’s calendar when the schedule was made public on Friday. The bill was added to the agenda at 8:13pm on Monday, according to the latest schedule.

Along with S.3857, the House is scheduled to consider two other Indian Country bills on Tuesday. They are:

• S.5355, the NACIE Improvement Act. The bipartisan measure ensures that the National Advisory Council on Indian Education, also known as NACIE, contains at least one member who is a leader of a tribal college or university.

• H.R.1101, the Lumbee Fairness Act. The bill extends federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina.

All three bills are being considered under a suspension of the rules, meaning they can pass by a simple voice vote in the House. The process is typically used for measures that are bipartisan in nature and are considered non-controversial.

However, lawmakers can still ask for a recorded vote on any of the bills. Conservative Republicans have been doing so for some Indian Country measures in recent years.

A total of 19 bills are being considered on Tuesday, House Majority Leader’s calendar. S.5355, H.R.1101 and S.5355 will be considered throughout the day.

The House is scheduled to start considering legislative business at 12pm Eastern. The House session can be viewed on live.house.gov or on C-SPAN.

The 118th Congress is due to wrap up by the end of the week. Lawmakers in both chambers are facing a December 20 deadline to fund the federal government or risk a shutdown that could have dramatic impacts on the trust and treaty obligations owed to tribal nations.

Any Indian Country bills that do not make it over the finish line would have to be introduced in the 119th Congress, which is scheduled to begin on January 3, 2025. Republicans will be in control of the House and the Senate.