President Donald Trump signed 10 bills into law Oct. 20, extending oil and gas permit-fee authority and changing rules for dating fraud alerts, federal land transfers and an Arizona park, the White House announced.
The License to Drill Act keeps the federal government’s authority to collect fees on new oil and gas drilling permit applications in place through 2037. Collections from fiscal years 2027 through 2037 will go to the Bureau of Land Management’s Permit Processing Improvement Fund. The authority was extended from 2026.
The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) must examine whether high-demand products used in critical infrastructure can be made in the United States when imports result from domestic manufacturing, material or supply-chain constraints. The study must assess effects on jobs and product costs. Commerce has one year to complete the study and 18 months to deliver a public report to Congress.
Dating services must warn members who received a message from an account the service later banned for significant fraud risk. In most cases, the warning is due within 24 hours of the ban; the law allows exceptions for specified delays. The requirement takes effect one year after enactment.
Several provisions transfer land or place it in trust. If Gila County requests it within 180 days, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must convey about 232.9 acres in Tonto National Forest for activities supporting veterans; the county pays the transfer costs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must transfer about 3.372 acres in Anchorage to Southcentral Foundation for health and social services within two years, without charge for the property.
The law itself places about 1,082.63 acres in Washington in trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and adds the land to its reservation. The property will not qualify as “Indian lands” under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Mississippi is to receive two parcels totaling about 7.43 acres at Vicksburg National Military Park at no cost for uses that improve access and visitors’ experience; the park boundary changes after the transfer.
Another law redesignates Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona as Chiricahua National Park, within its existing boundaries, and provides for protection of traditional cultural and religious sites and tribal access. The National Park Service (NPS) says the area has been protected as a monument since 1924. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the change could draw more visitors and support local economies, and that the designation would “shine a national spotlight” on the area.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) must establish training within 180 days for designated employees to identify and refer suspected human trafficking cases, then report to Congress each year after the program begins. The Clergy Act lets qualifying ministers, members of religious orders and Christian Science practitioners apply to revoke their Social Security coverage exemption for taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 2028. Applications are due by the deadline, including extensions, for the applicant’s federal income tax return for their second taxable year beginning after that date.
