Small Cemetery Conveyance Act
Key claim: The Small Cemetery Conveyance Act (HR4284) authorizes the U.S. Forest Service to convey without payment up to 40 acres of cemetery land (plus 1 adjacent acre) to state, local, tribal, or community land-grant entities, with reversion if the land ceases to be used as a cemetery.
Abstract
(HR4284 · 119th Congress) Small Cemetery Conveyance Act This bill authorizes the Forest Service to convey, without a payment or exchange in land, a cemetery to a state government, local government, Indian tribe, or certain community land grant that has a bona fide interest or historic claim to the cemetery. This authorization applies to up to 40 acres of land that was used, or previously used, as a cemetery, including up to 1 acre adjacent to the land used as a cemetery. The conveyed land must continue to be used as a cemetery. If it is not used for that purpose, the Forest Service may revert the land and any improvements back to the United States. The Forest Service may waive certain conveyance costs upon the demonstrated need of a state government, local government, Indian tribe, or community land grant. Latest action (2026-03-17): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Why this matters
Cemeteries on National Forest System land often predate federal ownership, and communities maintaining them lack clear title, which complicates upkeep, expansion, and local governance. A no-cost conveyance authority with a reversion-to-cemetery-use condition gives rural counties, tribes, and land-grant communities a low-friction path to formalize stewardship without appropriations, while preserving federal recourse if the use changes. The effect on farmers, consumers, and food prices is negligible; the practical impact is on rural land administration and community access.