Constitution Index · H.R. 10159 · 2026-08-27
To authorize the Secretary of the Army to convey to the State of North Carolina a certain parcel of real property located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on which the State shall construct a veterans’ State home, and for other purposes.
Latest official status (2026-10-14): Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Constitutional grade
A
Constitutional
This bill is a straightforward, narrow authorization for the federal government to convey a specific parcel of surplus military land to a state for a constitutionally permissible purpose—supporting veterans. It does not expand federal power, restrict individual rights, or centralize authority. The conveyance is voluntary, state-initiated, and includes a reversion clause to protect federal interests. It fully respects federalism and the Tenth Amendment by enabling state action rather than mandating it.
Amendment X Article I, Section 8, Clause 12
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
The federal government has explicit authority over military installations under Article I, Section 8, Clause 12 (to raise and support Armies) and Clause 14 (to make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces). Conveying a portion of a military base to a state for a veterans' home is a proper exercise of property management incidental to these powers. The bill does not exceed this authority; it merely authorizes a transfer of federal property.
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. It is a property conveyance with no effect on individual liberties.
Individual liberty · passes
The bill imposes no restrictions on individual conduct. It does not regulate personal behavior, property use, speech, labor, or belief. The only 'restriction' is a condition on the state's continued use of the conveyed land (for a veterans' home), which is a contractual condition voluntarily accepted by the state, not a restriction on individuals. The burden of justification is not triggered because no individual freedom is curtailed.
Decentralization · passes
The bill passes all four questions of the decentralization test. (1) An individual or family could not handle the conveyance of a 20-acre federal military parcel; this is inherently a government-to-government transaction. (2) A local community or county could not handle the transfer of federal property; only the federal government can convey its own land. (3) The state of North Carolina could not unilaterally acquire federal land without federal authorization; the federal government must act. (4) The action does not consolidate decision-making upward; it actually devolves control of the property to the state, which is the opposite of consolidation. The federal role is limited to authorizing the transfer, and the state retains full control over the property's use.
Due process and takings · passes
The bill does not take private property; it conveys federal property to a state. There is no deprivation of life, liberty, or property without due process. The reversion clause is a standard condition that does not bypass any procedural safeguards—it simply allows the federal government to reclaim the property if the state fails to use it for the stated purpose. No private party's property is affected, and no hearing is required because the state voluntarily accepts the terms.
Provenance
- Congress.gov: HR 10159 summary · fetched 2026-10-12 · official page ↗
Version history · never overwritten
| Grade | Graded | Rubric | Source hash | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A · #738 | 2026-10-13 | vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0 | d06d270efe5d | current |
Cite this
Values for America. “Constitutional grade: H.R. 10159, To authorize the Secretary of the Army to convey to the State of North Carolina a certain parcel of real property located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on which the State shall construct a veterans’ State home, and for other purposes..” VFA Constitution Index, grade 738 (rubric vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0), graded October 13, 2026. https://www.valuesforamerica.com/constitution-index/grades/738. Accessed 2026-10-19.
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