I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9257 

To establish the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument in the State 

of Arizona, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 2, 2024 

Mr. GRIJALVA (for himself, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. CARSON, Ms. STANSBURY, 

Ms. TITUS, Mr. BLUMENAUER, and Mr. NEGUSE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument 

in the State of Arizona, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Great Bend of the Gila 

5 National Monument Establishment Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

9 means an Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, 

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1 tion individually identified (including parenthetically) 

2 on the list published by the Secretary of the Interior 

3 under section 104 of the Federally Recognized In4 dian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131). 

5 (2) INTERESTED INDIAN TRIBE.—The term 

6 ‘‘interested Indian Tribe’’ means any Indian Tribe 

7 with— 

8 (A) historic, precontact, cultural, or reli9 gious connections to lands within the National 

10 Monument; 

11 (B) a former reservation located on land 

12 within the National Monument; or 

13 (C) treaty rights or other reserved rights 

14 applicable to land within the National Monu15 ment. 

16 (3) LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term 

17 ‘‘land management plan’’ means the land manage18 ment plan developed under section 4(b). 

19 (4) MAP.—The term ‘‘Map’’ means the map ti20 tled ‘‘Proposed Great Bend of the Gila National 

21 Monument’’ and dated November 3, 2023. 

22 (5) NATIONAL MONUMENT.—The term ‘‘Na23 tional Monument’’ means the Great Bend of the Gila 

24 National Monument established by section 3(a). 


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1 (6) SACRED SITE.—The term ‘‘sacred site’’ 

2 means any geophysical or geographical area or fea3 ture that is identified by the governing body of an 

4 Indian Tribe— 

5 (A) as sacred by virtue of its established 

6 religious significance to, or ceremonial use in, a 

7 Tribal religion; or 

8 (B) to be of established cultural signifi9 cance. 

10 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

11 the Secretary of the Interior. 

12 (8) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

13 of Arizona. 

14 (9) TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE.— 

15 The term ‘‘Traditional Ecological Knowledge’’ 

16 means a body of observations, oral and written 

17 knowledge, practices, and beliefs that promotes envi18 ronmental sustainability and the responsible stew19 ardship of natural resources through relationships 

20 between humans and environmental systems, applied 

21 across biological, physical, and cultural systems. 

22 (10) TRIBAL COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Tribal 

23 Commission’’ means the Tribal Commission estab24 lished under section 6(a). 


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1 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL MONUMENT. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing 

4 rights, there is established in the State the Great 

5 Bend of the Gila National Monument. 

6 (2) AREA INCLUDED.—The Great Bend of the 

7 Gila National Monument shall consist of approxi8 mately 376,963 acres of land administered by the 

9 Bureau of Land Management, as generally depicted 

10 on the Map. 

11 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the National Monu12 ment are to protect and restore, for the benefit and enjoy13 ment of present and future generations, the nationally im14 portant Indigenous heritage, cultural landscape, archae15 ological, cultural, historic, geologic, hydrologic, natural, 

16 recreational, educational, and scenic resources of the Na17 tional Monument. 

18 SEC. 4. MANAGEMENT OF NATIONAL MONUMENT. 

19 (a) MANAGEMENT.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall manage 

21 the National Monument— 

22 (A) in a manner that— 

23 (i) conserves, protects, and enhances 

24 the resources of the National Monument; 

25 and 


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1 (ii) preserves and protects sacred sites 

2 and traditional cultural properties; 

3 (B) in consultation with the Tribal Com4 mission; 

5 (C) as a component of the National Land6 scape Conservation System; and 

7 (D) in accordance with— 

8 (i) the Federal Land Policy and Man9 agement Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et 

10 seq.); 

11 (ii) the Native American Graves Pro12 tection and Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. 

13 3001 et seq.); 

14 (iii) Public Law 95–341 (commonly 

15 known as the ‘‘American Indian Religious 

16 Freedom Act’’; 42 U.S.C. 1996); 

17 (iv) this Act; and 

18 (v) any other applicable law. 

19 (b) LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 

21 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

22 shall develop a comprehensive land management 

23 plan providing for the long-term protection and 

24 management of the National Monument. 


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1 (2) DEVELOPMENT.—In developing a land man2 agement plan, the Secretary shall— 

3 (A) consult with— 

4 (i) Indian Tribes; 

5 (ii) appropriate State and local gov6 ernmental entities; and 

7 (iii) members of the public; and 

8 (B) provide for continued access for wild9 life management within the National Monument 

10 by the State during the development of the land 

11 management plan. 

12 (3) REQUIREMENTS.—The land management 

13 plan shall— 

14 (A) describe the appropriate uses and 

15 management of the National Monument; 

16 (B) provide for traditional uses of the Na17 tional Monument by members of Indian Tribes; 

18 (C) include the Traditional Ecological 

19 Knowledge or special expertise offered by In20 dian Tribes and provisions to appropriately pro21 tect that knowledge; 

22 (D) provide for the protection and preser23 vation of cultural resources within the National 

24 Monument; 


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1 (E) incorporate provisions for continued 

2 meaningful engagement with Indian Tribes in 

3 the implementation of the land management 

4 plan; 

5 (F) emphasize the retention of natural 

6 quiet, dark night skies, and scenic attributes of 

7 the landscape; 

8 (G) include comprehensive travel manage9 ment plans; 

10 (H) maintain the undeveloped character of 

11 the lands within the National Monument; 

12 (I) minimize impacts from surface-dis13 turbing activities; and 

14 (J) provide for appropriate access for live15 stock grazing, recreation, hunting, wildlife man16 agement, and scientific research. 

17 (c) NEW ROADS AND ROUTES.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para19 graph (2) and as necessary in an emergency, no new 

20 permanent or temporary roads or other motorized 

21 vehicle routes shall be constructed within the Na22 tional Monument after the date of the enactment of 

23 this Act. 

24 (2) ACCESS.—The Secretary shall allow access, 

25 in accordance with applicable law, to— 


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1 (A) non-Federal land and interests in non2 Federal land within the National Monument; 

3 and 

4 (B) trust or restricted lands or a trust or 

5 restricted interest in land (as defined by section 

6 201(4) of the Indian Land Consolidation Act 

7 (25 U.S.C. 2201(4))) within the National 

8 Monument. 

9 (3) RESOURCE PROTECTION AREA.—Except as 

10 needed for administrative purposes or to respond to 

11 an emergency, the use of motor vehicles within the 

12 area generally depicted on the Map as ‘‘Proposed 

13 Resource Protection Area’’ shall be prohibited. 

14 (d) TRIBAL CO-STEWARDSHIP.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall consult 

16 with interested Indian Tribes with respect to the 

17 management of the National Monument. 

18 (2) DECISIONMAKING.—The Secretary shall en19 sure that management decisions affecting the Na20 tional Monument are informed by and reflect Tribal 

21 expertise and Traditional Ecological Knowledge. 

22 (3) SELF-DETERMINATION CONTRACTS.— 

23 (A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this 

24 Act, the Secretary may contract with 1 or more 

25 Indian Tribes to perform administrative or 


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1 management functions within the National 

2 Monument through contracts entered into 

3 under the Indian Self-Determination and Edu4 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.). 

5 (B) TRIBAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 

6 may provide technical and financial assistance 

7 to an Indian Tribe in accordance with section 

8 103 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu9 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5322) to im10 prove the capacity of the Indian Tribe to de11 velop, enter into, and carry out activities under 

12 a contract entered into under paragraph (1). 

13 (e) APPROVAL OF FUNDING AGREEMENTS.—The 

14 Secretary may approve funding agreements under title IV 

15 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assist16 ance Act (25 U.S.C. 5361 et seq.) for the management 

17 of programs and functions relating to the management 

18 and protection of traditional cultural properties and other 

19 culturally significant programming associated with the 

20 National Monument. 

21 (f) TEMPORARY CLOSURES.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may tempo23 rarily close to the general public the use of 1 or 

24 more specific portions of the National Monument to 


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1 protect the privacy of cultural, religious, and gath2 ering activities by members of an Indian Tribe. 

3 (2) REQUIREMENTS.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—Any closure under 

5 paragraph (1)— 

6 (i) shall be made so as to affect the 

7 smallest practicable area for the minimum 

8 period of time necessary; 

9 (ii) shall be in accordance with the re10 quirements of applicable law, including di11 vision A of subtitle III of title 54, United 

12 States Code (commonly referred to as the 

13 ‘‘National Historic Preservation Act’’); and 

14 (iii) may not be made permanent. 

15 (B) ACCESS.—Access by members of an 

16 Indian Tribe to a portion of the National 

17 Monument closed under paragraph (1) shall be 

18 consistent with purpose and intent of Public 

19 Law 95–341 (commonly known as the ‘‘Amer20 ican Indian Religious Freedom Act’’; 42 U.S.C. 

21 1996 et seq.). 

22 SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

23 (a) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid existing rights, 

24 all Federal land in the National Monument (including any 

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1 ment after the date of the enactment of this Act) is with2 drawn from— 

3 (1) all forms of entry, appropriation, and dis4 posal under the public land laws; 

5 (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining 

6 laws; and 

7 (3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral 

8 materials, and geothermal leasing laws. 

9 (b) ACQUISITION AND INCORPORATION.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may acquire 

11 land or an interest in land within the boundaries of 

12 the National Monument by purchase from a willing 

13 seller, donation, or exchange. 

14 (2) STATE LANDS.—The Secretary, in collabo15 ration with the Arizona State Land Department, 

16 shall seek to acquire by exchange or purchase from 

17 a willing seller those lands generally depicted on the 

18 Map as ‘‘Lands Identified for Potential Acquisition’’. 

19 (3) INCORPORATION IN NATIONAL MONU20 MENT.—Land acquired under this subsection shall— 

21 (A) become part of the National Monu22 ment; and 

23 (B) be managed in accordance with this 

24 Act and any other applicable laws. 

25 (c) GRAZING.— 


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1 (1) EFFECT.—Nothing in this Act shall be con2 strued to prohibit grazing within the National Monu3 ment pursuant to existing leases or permits, or the 

4 renewal or assignment of such leases or permits. 

5 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall 

6 continue to administer grazing within the National 

7 Monument in accordance with the applicable laws, 

8 regulations, and policies. 

9 (d) FISH AND WILDLIFE.—Nothing in this Act af10 fects the jurisdiction of the State with respect to the man11 agement of fish and wildlife in the State. 

12 (e) WATER RIGHTS.—Nothing in this Act— 

13 (1) affects the use or allocation, in existence on 

14 the date of enactment of this Act, of any water, 

15 water right, or interest in water; 

16 (2) affects any vested absolute or decreed condi17 tional water right in existence on the date of enact18 ment of this Act, including any water right held by 

19 the United States; 

20 (3) affects any claims or right to water not as21 serted or finally determined as of the date of enact22 ment of this Act; 

23 (4) affects any interstate water compact in ex24 istence on the date of enactment of this Act; 


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1 (5) authorizes or imposes any new reserved 

2 Federal water rights; or 

3 (6) relinquishes or reduces any water rights re4 served or appropriated by the United States in the 

5 State on or before the date of enactment of this Act. 

6 (f) MILITARY OVERFLIGHTS.—Nothing in this Act 

7 restricts or precludes— 

8 (1) low-level overflights of military aircraft over 

9 the National Monument, including military over10 flights that can be seen or heard within the National 

11 Monument; 

12 (2) flight testing and evaluation; or 

13 (3) the designation or creation of new units of 

14 special use airspace, or the establishment of military 

15 flight training routes, over the National Monument. 

16 (g) ADJACENT MANAGEMENT.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act shall be 

18 construed to create a protective perimeter or buffer 

19 zone around the National Monument. 

20 (2) ACTIVITIES AND USES.—The fact that ac21 tivities or uses can be seen or heard from areas 

22 within the National Monument shall not preclude 

23 the conduct of the activities or uses outside the 

24 boundary of the National Monument. 


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1 (h) TRIBAL RIGHTS.—Nothing in this Act alters or 

2 diminishes— 

3 (1) the treaty rights of any Indian Tribe; or 

4 (2) the hunting, fishing, and gathering rights of 

5 the Tohono O’odham Nation recognized by section 

6 4(b) of the Gila Bend Indian Reservation Lands Re7 placement Act (Public Law 99–503). 

8 (i) UTILITY AND TRANSMISSION FACILITIES.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act, unless 

10 inconsistent with proper care and management of 

11 the National Monument, precludes or interferes with 

12 renewing, assigning, operating, maintaining, replac13 ing, modifying, upgrading, or accessing any of the 

14 following, within or adjacent to the boundary of the 

15 National Monument: 

16 (A) Flood control, utility, pipeline, and 

17 telecommunications facilities. 

18 (B) Roads or highway corridors. 

19 (C) Seismic monitoring facilities. 

20 (D) Other water infrastructure, including 

21 wildlife water developments and water district 

22 facilities. 

23 (2) EXPANSION; CONSTRUCTION OF NEW FA24 CILITIES.—With respect to a facility described in 

25 subparagraph (A), (C), or (D) of paragraph (1) that 


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1 is within or adjacent to the boundary of the National 

2 Monument, subject to section 5(a) and any other ap3 plicable law— 

4 (A) an existing facility may be expanded; 

5 and 

6 (B) a new facility may be constructed. 

7 SEC. 6. TRIBAL COMMISSION. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—To ensure that the management 

9 of the National Monument reflects the expertise and tradi10 tional, cultural, ecological, historical, and Native knowl11 edge of interested Indian Tribes, not later than 180 days 

12 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

13 establish for the National Monument a Tribal Commis14 sion. 

15 (b) DUTIES.—The Tribal Commission shall provide 

16 guidance and recommendations on the development and 

17 implementation of the management plan for, and policies 

18 of, the National Monument. 

19 (c) MEMBERSHIP.—The Tribal Commission shall 

20 consist of the representatives designated by each inter21 ested Indian Tribe, with a maximum of 1 representative 

22 per interested Indian Tribe. 

23 (d) EXEMPTION.—Chapter 10 of title 5, United 

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1 sory Committee Act’’), shall not apply to the Tribal Com2 mission. 

Æ 


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