Pala Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Act of 2023

The Pala Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Act of 2023 directs the U.S. government to take approximately 721 acres of land in San Diego County, California, into federal trust for the Pala Band of Mission Indians. The tribe must transfer the land to the U.S. within 180 days of the bill’s enactment, after which the Secretary of the Interior will place it into trust within another 180 days. This land will become part of the Pala Indian Reservation and be managed under federal trust laws for tribes, while protecting existing tribal water rights, land claims, and access rights. The bill explicitly prohibits the tribe from operating gaming activities on this land under federal gaming laws, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.