Santini-Burton Modernization Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 3695 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3695 To amend Public Law 96-586 to modernize the authority of the Forest Service to acquire and administer land under that Act, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES January 27, 2026 Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Padilla, and Mr. Schiff) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend Public Law 96-586 to modernize the authority of the Forest Service to acquire and administer land under that Act, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Santini-Burton Modernization Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE LAND IN THE LAKE TAHOE BASIN. (a) Findings; Purpose.--Section 1 of Public Law 96-586 (94 Stat. 3381) (commonly known as the ``Santini-Burton Act'') is amended-- (1) in subsection (a)-- (A) in paragraph (6), by striking ``and'' at the end; (B) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and (C) by adding at the end the following: ``(8) the Lake Tahoe Basin is the homeland of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, but that Tribe owns less than 0.5 percent of the land in the Lake Tahoe Basin, and that limited land ownership and the presence of that land in the Lake Tahoe Basin hamper the ability of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California to provide access and cultural resources for the members of that Tribe.''; and (2) in subsection (b), by inserting ``and management'' after ``acquisition''. (b) Acquisitions; Land Management.--Section 3 of Public Law 96-586 (94 Stat.