Bill > HR4284

This bill, titled the "Small Cemetery Conveyance Act," amends the Small Tract Act of 1983 to allow the Secretary of Agriculture to transfer ownership of certain small cemeteries to qualified individuals or entities without requiring payment. This means that land used as a cemetery, including up to one acre of adjacent land, can be given away for free. The transfer is conditional, requiring the land to be used solely for cemetery purposes, with the possibility of the land reverting to the United States if this condition is violated. The bill also clarifies that the Secretary can waive certain costs associated with these transfers if there's a demonstrated need. A "cemetery" is defined broadly to include physical locations where human remains are deposited as part of cultural death rites, a community burying ground, or as determined by an Indian Tribe, and must be a small parcel of land. A "qualified person" is defined as a state or local government, an Indian Tribe, or a "qualified land grant-merced" (a community land grant recognized under New Mexico law with historical ties to federal land) that has a legitimate interest or historical claim to the cemetery. Importantly, this bill does not alter the requirements of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Government Affairs

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4284/all-info