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HR7255119th Congress

Santini-Burton Modernization Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Representative Kiley, Kevin [I-CA-3]

Introduced

Summary

Expanded land acquisition and management authority and a larger Washoe Tribe role in the Lake Tahoe Basin. This bill modernizes the Santini-Burton Act to add land management as an explicit purpose, increase tribal and local participation, and formalize funding and partnership rules for the Basin.

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  • Washoe Tribe: Recognizes the Lake Tahoe Basin as the Washoe Tribe homeland and notes the Tribe owns less than 0.5% of Basin land. Authorizes transfers and funding to the Tribe to acquire and manage culturally significant lands and improve tribal access and preservation.
  • State, local, and regional partners: Requires the Forest Service to consider state and local governments and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency in acquisition and management decisions. Allows the Secretary to transfer funds to those entities and treats transferred funds as non-Federal matching funds for other federal programs.
  • Land management and spending plan: Expands "acquisition" authority to explicitly include "management" so funds can pay for forest health, water quality, cultural site preservation, recreation impacts, and research on acquired and National Forest System lands in the Basin. Requires an annual spending plan, due March 15, that ranks activities by environmental thresholds, measurability, multiple benefits, leverage, priority lists, and stakeholder support; funds may cover administration and remain available until expended.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

More Lake Tahoe land and management

This bill would let the Forest Service use Act money to both buy and manage land in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The Secretary would be able to transfer those funds to the Washoe Tribe, states, local governments, or the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. Transferred money would count as non‑Federal matching funds and would be available for administrative costs. Allowed projects would include forest health, wildland‑urban interface work, and measures to protect water quality. They would also fund recreation impact fixes, cultural site preservation, indigenous management, and scientific research. The Lake Tahoe Forest Supervisor would make a spending plan by March 15 each year with local consultation. Any money under this paragraph would have to add to, not replace, other federal Lake Tahoe funding.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Kiley, Kevin [I-CA-3]

CA • I

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]

    NV • D

    Sponsored 1/27/2026

  • Rep. Lee, Susie [D-NV-3]

    NV • D

    Sponsored 1/27/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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