Small Cemetery Conveyance Act
Sponsored By: Representative Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3]
Passed House
Summary
Authorizes the Agriculture Secretary to transfer small cemetery parcels at no cost to eligible local groups. The bill adds a new cemetery-specific conveyance rule to the Small Tract Act and sets who can receive land and under what conditions.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Free federal land for cemeteries
The Secretary of Agriculture would be able to give, at no cost, federal land used as a cemetery to eligible local stewards. Eligible groups would include state or local governments, federally recognized Indian Tribes, and certain New Mexico community land grants with historic ties. The cemetery parcel would have to be 40 acres or less, and the transfer could include up to one extra acre next to it. The land would have to be used only as a cemetery, or it would be able to go back to the United States. The Secretary would be able to waive some transfer costs or rules based on need, and this would not change the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
Remove cemeteries from Small Tract Act
The bill would delete cemeteries and the one-acre detail from a list in the Small Tract Act. This would change how federal cemetery parcels are handled under that law and align them with the new cemetery transfer rules. The change would take effect when enacted.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3]
NM • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Hurd, Jeff [R-CO-3]
CO • R
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov