H.R. 3925 explained · 119th Congress · Pending in Congress
Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation Land Exchange Act
Cosponsors: none · per Congress.gov, 2026-10-14
Introduced: 2025-06-11
Latest action (2026-09-15): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
What H.R. 3925 does, in plain terms
Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation Land Exchange Act This bill authorizes a land exchange between the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (also federally recognized as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians) and the federal government. The tribe is located on the San Manuel Indian Reservation near the cities of Highland and San Bernardino in California. Specifically, if the tribe offers to convey to the federal government all right, title, and interest of the tribe in and to approximately 1,460 acres of land, then the Forest Service must accept the offer and convey all right, title, and interest of the federal government in and to approximately 1,475 acres of National Forest System land. The Forest Service must accept the offer and convey the land as soon as practicable within 120 days of receiving the offer. As a condition of the land exchange, within 120 days of the bill's enactment, the tribe must enter into an agreement with the Forest Service under which the tribe agrees to preserve the historical and cultural integrity of the Arrowhead landmark site. The site is located in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains directly above San Bernardino, California. Land acquired by the Forest Service shall become part of the San Bernardino National Forest.
Official summary by the Congressional Research Service, via Congress.gov.
Constitution Index
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H.R. 3925 has not been graded yet. New measures with an official summary are graded daily under the published rubric.
The Framers
“Founders’ Verdict”
Confidence 0.50
Archived SI output (machine-generated)No editorial review recorded. This historical SI verdict was machine-generated by software and predates the review desk; check it against the official bill text.
Synthesis
A land exchange between the United States and the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation falls squarely within Congress's enumerated powers under the Indian Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) and the Property Clause (Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2). All four voices concur on this grant of authority. However, the measure's full constitutional soundness is conditioned upon: (1) the United States receiving a fair equivalent of value for lands conveyed out of the public trust; (2) a genuine federal purpose in managing relations with Indian Tribes rather than mere local gratuity; (3) the exchange being truly voluntary and consensual; (4) just compensation for any private property or vested rights affected (Amendment V); and (5) any withdrawal of state taxing or criminal jurisdiction being narrowly confined to what the federal-tribal relationship necessarily requires.
An act providing for the exchange of lands between the United States and the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation falls within powers expressly granted to the national legislature. First, Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 vests in Congress the power 'to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes.' Dealings with the Indian nations were committed to the general government precisely because they demand uniformity, vigor, and a single voice — a principle I defended in Federalist No. 24 when urging that the defense and management of our frontiers, wher…
The general government possesses enumerated authority to act here, but that authority must be exercised within its proper bounds. First, Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 empowers Congress 'to regulate Commerce... with the Indian Tribes,' and dealings respecting tribal lands fall naturally within this grant, for commerce with the tribes has ever comprehended the purchase and exchange of their territories. Second, Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2 declares that 'Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to …
Upon examination of this measure, I find its object lies within the enumerated powers of the general government. The regulation of intercourse and commerce with the Indian Tribes was expressly committed to the national legislature by the Convention of 1787, precisely because dealings with sovereign tribes demand a uniform national hand rather than thirteen discordant provincial policies. As I observed in Federalist No. 42, the want of such a provision was felt as a source of embarrassment under the former Confederation. Likewise, the disposal of property belonging to the United States is commi…
This Act, providing for an exchange of lands between the United States and the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, falls comfortably within the enumerated powers of Congress. First, Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 vests in Congress the power 'to regulate Commerce... with the Indian Tribes,' a grant this Court has understood to extend to the full ambit of dealings between the sovereign and the tribes, including the acquisition, disposition, and protection of tribal lands. Second, Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2 declares that 'Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and R…
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