Washington, D.C. – Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva will bring a bill to the House floor later today that conveys two parcels of land in the Tucson area to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe for economic development. The bill, technically referred to as H.R. 4222, transfers a 10-acre parcel from Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) and another 10-acre parcel from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to tribal officials looking to complete a planned golf course expected to create jobs.

The bill already passed the House Natural Resources Committee unanimously. Today’s vote will likely send the bill to the Senate.

“This transfer makes the tribal economy more self-sustaining and expands the tax base,” Grijalva said. “There’s every reason to support this and get the Tribe the land it needs to complete this project. Nearly the entire Arizona delegation is already supporting this transfer, and it should sail through the Senate as quickly as I expect it to pass the House today.”

The two parcels to be transferred are surrounded on all sides by existing tribal land. Without the transfer, the parcels would be economically useless and largely inaccessible. The transfer helps BLM officials by taking an unmanageable 10-acre island out of its hands.

The bill being introduced today is a modified version of an earlier proposal that would also have transferred land to TUSD. Grijalva said he will continue to work with TUSD, BLM and Pascua Yaqui officials on the best way to handle that swap in a timely way.