# 119-s-1942: Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act

119-s-1942, Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1942
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1942
- Congress: 119
- Title: Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-06-04
- Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Malheur County Grazing Management Program** would create a local framework that gives grazing permittees more operational flexibility and coordinates voluntary restoration on Federal and non‑Federal lands. It would also designate about 1.1 million acres in Malheur County as wilderness and establish an 18‑member Malheur C.E.O. Group to recommend projects and funding. - Ranchers and permittees would get guaranteed consultation, at least one renewal alternative that increases operational flexibility, and one‑year interim variances for weather, fire, drought, or similar temporary conditions. - Tribes and local governments would gain specific co‑stewardship and land conveyance provisions for the Burns Paiute Tribe and the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe, including trust transfers and time‑bound exchange opportunities. - Public lands managers and communities would see about 1.1 million acres managed under new wilderness rules that allow continued pre‑existing grazing and targeted wildlife management, and eligible restoration projects could receive up to a 75% Federal cost share. *This bill would authorize appropriations of $1.0 million per year from 2026 through 2036 to carry out the Program.*

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-06-04T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More grazing flexibility for ranchers: benefit, medium. This bill would create a Malheur County Grazing Management Program on Federal land. It would require NEPA to analyze at least one operational-flexibility alternative when a permit or lease is renewed. If an operational-flexibility alternative is chosen, it could be added to a permit. Cooperatively…
- Local restoration fund and board: benefit, low. This bill would create the Malheur C.E.O. Group, an 18-member board that can accept donations and federal funds into a trust. The trust could fund eligible local projects like restoration, water work, invasive species control, and monitoring. Federal funds for a project would cover no more than 75…
- New wilderness protections in Malheur: benefit, low. This bill would designate about 1,102,393 acres in Malheur County as wilderness. Grazing that existed before enactment could continue in those areas. The Secretary could do limited management work, including occasional motorized use, to protect wildlife and habitat. The State could use aircraft for…
- Transfer land to Burns Paiute Tribe: benefit, low. This bill would direct the Secretary to accept title to specified parcels conveyed by or for the Burns Paiute Tribe and hold them in trust. The land would become part of the Tribe's reservation. Grazing that existed before enactment could continue. The Secretary would seek a State land exchange wit…

## Related bills

- 119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act
- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act

## Sources
- [119-s-1942 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1942)

## Related
- [119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-891)
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1942 (as of 2026-09-10).