Constitution Index · H.R. 837 · 2025-01-31
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site to Gila County, Arizona.
Latest official status (2026-10-15): Presented to President.
Constitutional grade
A
Constitutional
This bill is a routine, non-controversial land conveyance from the federal government to a county, with a reversionary interest to ensure the land is used for veteran services. It does not expand federal power, restrict individual rights, or raise due process or takings concerns. The action is within Congress's enumerated power over federal lands and is appropriately decentralized, as it transfers control to the local level.
Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2
SI-generated grade · passed automated checks (real Constitution citation, language rules) · not individually reviewed by a person · methodology · Report an error: hello@valuesforamerica.com
The five checks
Enumerated powers · passes
Congress has explicit authority under the Property Clause (Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2) to dispose of federal property. The bill directs the conveyance of National Forest System land, which is federal property, and thus falls squarely within this enumerated power.
Bill of Rights · passes
The bill does not implicate any of the first ten amendments. It does not restrict speech, religion, assembly, press, petition, arms, quartering, search and seizure, self-incrimination, due process, takings, trial rights, or cruel and unusual punishment. The reversionary interest is a standard condition on a land grant and does not infringe any constitutional right.
Individual liberty · passes
The bill does not restrict any individual's use of their person, property, speech, labor, or belief. It is a voluntary transfer of land to a county, with conditions that the county voluntarily accepts. No individual is compelled to do anything, and no individual's property is taken without consent.
Decentralization · passes
The bill transfers federal land to a county, which is a lower level of government. This does not consolidate decision-making upward; it decentralizes control. The county is best positioned to manage land for local veteran services. The federal government retains a reversionary interest, but that is a minimal oversight mechanism, not a consolidation of authority.
Due process and takings · passes
The bill does not take private property; it conveys federal land to a county. The county voluntarily requests the conveyance and pays all associated costs. There is no deprivation of property without due process, and no taking of private property for public use without just compensation. The reversionary interest is a contractual condition, not a taking.
Provenance
- Congress.gov: HR 837 summary · fetched 2026-10-11 · official page ↗
Version history · never overwritten
| Grade | Graded | Rubric | Source hash | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A · #764 | 2026-10-13 | vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0 | d8108f277a30 | current |
Cite this
Values for America. “Constitutional grade: H.R. 837, To require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site to Gila County, Arizona..” VFA Constitution Index, grade 764 (rubric vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0), graded October 13, 2026. https://www.valuesforamerica.com/constitution-index/grades/764. Accessed 2026-10-20.
Permalink: https://www.valuesforamerica.com/constitution-index/grades/764
Data: this grade as JSON · full export. Attribution required.