265 Acres of Public Land to Transfer to Shingle Springs Miwok Tribe, Banning All Gaming

This bill, officially titled the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Land Transfer Act of 2025, is primarily an administrative cleanup that involves a significant land transfer. It directs the Secretary of the Interior to revoke Public Land Order 3309, which dates back to 1964, and quickly transfer about 265 acres of federal land into trust for the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians (the Tribe).

The clock starts ticking immediately: the Secretary has 180 days after the bill becomes law to complete the transfer, provided there are no existing legal claims on the property. This transfer involves two specific parcels—roughly 80 acres and 185 acres—and the 80-acre parcel is officially declared part of the Tribe’s existing Reservation. Essentially, the government is clearing outdated paperwork and formally increasing the Tribe’s land base, which is a common action related to tribal sovereignty and land consolidation.

Clearing the Books and Shifting the Fence Line

For most people, federal land transfers like this don't register, but they have real-world impacts for the local community and the Tribe. The biggest immediate impact is that these 265 acres, once managed by the Bureau of Land Management and technically available to the public, will now be held in trust by the U.S. government for the Tribe. If you were a local hiker, hunter, or recreational user who accessed those specific BLM parcels, your access will change, as the land is now considered part of the Tribe’s sovereign territory. The bill requires the Secretary to perform a survey if needed, meaning the exact boundaries will be officially set and filed, eliminating potential boundary disputes down the road.

The Gaming Caveat: No Dice Allowed

Here’s the detail that jumps out: The bill explicitly states that none of the land taken into trust under this Act can ever be used for Class II or Class III gaming activities. This is a crucial restriction. Class II and Class III gaming includes everything from bingo and pull-tabs (Class II) to full-scale casino gambling (Class III), which is often a major economic driver for tribes operating on trust land under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. This provision means the Tribe will not be able to use this newly acquired land for a casino, even if they wanted to, placing a firm cap on one potential avenue of economic development for this specific acreage. While the land transfer supports tribal sovereignty, this specific restriction limits the Tribe's options for capitalizing on the new land base.

The Administrative Clock is Ticking

Implementation is straightforward but tightly scheduled. The 180-day deadline puts pressure on the Department of the Interior to move quickly. The bill gives the Secretary some administrative wiggle room, though, allowing them to decide whether a formal survey is necessary and to fix minor errors in the land descriptions. However, the bill is slightly vague on what constitutes an “existing legal claim” that might hold up the transfer. If a utility company or a private entity claims an easement or right-of-way on the land, the Secretary will have to sort that out before the 180-day window closes. For the Tribe, this bill is a clear administrative win, formalizing their land holdings, but for anyone watching land use policy, the explicit and permanent gaming restriction is the most significant policy takeaway.