US Federal Senate Bill SB277

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 10/27/25
• Introduced: 1/28/25
• Refer: 1/28/25
• Report Pass: 10/21/25

Caption

A bill to release a Federal reversionary interest and convey mineral interests in Chester County, Tennessee, and for other purposes.

Summary

SB 277 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to release a federal reversionary interest in a 0.62-acre parcel of state forest land in Chickasaw State Forest in Chester County, Tennessee, and to convey the federal mineral interest in that parcel to the State of Tennessee. The bill is narrowly tailored to a specific property dispute involving land conveyed by the federal government in 1955 and now occupied in part by Bethel Baptist Church, which a recent state survey found to be encroaching on state-owned land by about 19 inches. The measure also overrides several otherwise applicable federal procedures. It authorizes the release and mineral conveyance without consideration, without appraisal, and without environmental or similar review, and it waives the usual exploratory and mineral-value findings that can accompany federal mineral conveyances. Tennessee would be responsible for any administrative costs incurred by the United States in carrying out the release and conveyance.

Impact

If enacted, the bill would amend the federal government’s retained property interests in the specified parcel by extinguishing the reversionary interest and transferring the federal mineral rights to Tennessee. It would effectively remove federal leverage over future use of the land if it ceases to be used for public purposes and would clear title issues associated with the encroachment. The bill would not broadly change federal land policy, but it would create a specific statutory exception to procedures under the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, and related regulations for this parcel.

Sentiment

The available context suggests the bill is noncontroversial and technical in nature. It was reported by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry without amendment, indicating committee agreement on the need to resolve the title and encroachment issue. No votes or recorded opposition are provided in the available materials, and the bill’s narrow scope suggests general support for a local land-management fix.

Contention

The main point of contention, to the extent one exists, is the bill’s decision to bypass ordinary federal review and valuation procedures. Those exceptions may matter to stakeholders concerned about precedent, land-management safeguards, or the absence of appraisal and environmental review. The underlying property issue also involves a church encroachment on state forest land, so the practical dispute is between resolving that encroachment and preserving the federal government’s retained interests in the parcel. No explicit opposition is documented in the provided record.