H.R. 1031 would direct the Department of the Interior (DOI) to take into trust approximately 700 acres of land in San Diego County, California, owned by the Pala Band of Mission Indians. Under the bill, DOI would hold title to that land for the benefit of the tribe. The legislation also would prohibit certain types of gaming on those lands. Using information provided by DOI, CBO estimates that any administrative costs to implement H.R. 1031 would not be significant.
H.R. 1031 would impose an intergovernmental mandate as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). The bill would prohibit state and local governments from taxing land taken into trust for the Pala Band of Mission Indians. Based on information from San Diego County, the taxable value of the land that would be placed into trust is approximately $2.3 million. That taxable value indicates that foregone property tax and fee revenues would fall significantly below the annual threshold established in UMRA ($84 million in 2020, adjusted annually for inflation).
