Congressional Bill H.R. 1043 Signed into Law

Washington, D.C.; December 30th, 2025.

Congressional Bill H.R. 1043 has been signed into law, according to an official release issued directly by The White House, finalizing legislation that directs the conveyance of certain federal lands in Arizona for local development purposes under conditions written explicitly into statute.

As written and enacted, H.R. 1043 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to transfer approximately 3,400 acres of federally managed land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management to La Paz County, Arizona, at fair market value. The land transfer is conditioned and limited by exclusions written into the bill, barring parcels that contain significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational resources from being conveyed.

The law specifies that the conveyed land is intended for economic development purposes, including renewable energy and job creation activities, while simultaneously imposing statutory safeguards related to cultural and historical preservation. The bill requires that any development effort on the transferred land take steps to avoid disturbing tribal artifacts, and if such artifacts are discovered, to minimize disturbance and coordinate with the Tribal Historic Preservation Office of the Colorado River Indian Tribes.

The statute further provides that tribal representatives must be permitted to rebury unearthed cultural artifacts near their original locations, establishing an enforceable obligation tied directly to land use following the conveyance. These requirements are embedded within the law itself and are not discretionary guidelines.

Upon transfer, the land is withdrawn from operation under federal mining and mineral leasing laws, removing it from future claims or extraction activities governed by those statutes. This withdrawal applies specifically to the conveyed parcels and takes effect as part of the land transfer authorized by H.R. 1043.

The bill passed both chambers of Congress before being presented for executive approval, completing the legislative process upon the President’s signature. The White House announcement confirms enactment without offering interpretive commentary beyond formal confirmation that the bill is now law.

Implementation of the law now falls to the Department of the Interior, which is responsible for executing the land conveyance in accordance with the conditions written into the statute, including valuation, exclusions, and cultural coordination requirements.

The signing of H.R. 1043 represents a targeted federal land action rather than a broad policy change, transferring specific acreage for local use while maintaining explicit statutory protections related to cultural resources and land use limitations.

Sources

Primary First Hand Sources
• THE WHITE HOUSE, official statement titled “Congressional Bill H.R. 1043 Signed into Law”
• UNITED STATES CONGRESS, enacted statutory text of H.R. 1043