[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2793 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 352
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 2793
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 27, 2022
Received; read twice and placed on the calendar
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To reauthorize the Highlands Conservation Act, to authorize States to
use funds from that Act for administrative purposes, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Highlands Conservation
Reauthorization Act of 2022''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE HIGHLANDS CONSERVATION ACT.
The Highlands Conservation Act (Public Law 108-421; 118 Stat. 2375)
is amended--
(1) in section 3--
(A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
``(1) Highlands region.--The term `Highlands region'
means--
``(A) the area depicted on the map entitled `The
Highlands Region', dated June 2004, updated after the
date of enactment of the Highlands Conservation
Reauthorization Act of 2022 to comprise each
municipality included on the list of municipalities
included in the Highlands region as of that date of
enactment, and maintained in the headquarters of the
Forest Service in Washington, District of Columbia; and
``(B) a municipality approved by the Director of
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service under
section 4(e).'';
(B) in paragraph (3), by amending subparagraph (B)
to read as follows:
``(B) identified by a Highlands State as having
high conservation value using the best available
science and geographic information systems; and'';
(C) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking ``; or'' and
inserting ``, including a political subdivision
thereof; or''; and
(D) by striking paragraphs (5) through (7);
(2) in section 4--
(A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``in the
Study'' and all that follows through the end of the
paragraph and inserting ``using the best available
science and geographic information systems; and'';
(B) in subsection (c), by amending paragraph (5) to
read as follows:
``(5) provides that land conservation partnership projects
will be consistent with areas identified as having high
conservation value in accordance with the purposes described in
section 2 in the Highlands region.'';
(C) in subsection (e), by striking ``fiscal years
2005 through 2021'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2023
through 2029'';
(D) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection
(g); and
(E) by inserting after subsection (d) the
following:
``(e) Request for Inclusion of Additional Municipality.--The
Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service may, at the
request of a Highlands State, with the concurrence of the municipality,
approve the inclusion of a municipality within the State as part of the
Highlands region.
``(f) Limitation on Administrative Expenses.--
``(1) Federal administration.--The Secretary of the
Interior may not expend more than $300,000 for the
administration of this Act in each fiscal year.
``(2) State administration.--A State that receives funds
under this section for a land conservation partnership project
may not use more than 5 percent of the funds to administer the
land conservation partnership project.'';
(3) in section 5--
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ``the Study,
Update, and any future study that the Forest Service
may undertake in'';
(B) in subsection (b)--
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking ``,
including a Pennsylvania and Connecticut
Update''; and
(ii) in paragraph (2), by striking ``the
findings'' and all that follows through the end
of the paragraph and inserting ``with
stakeholders regarding implementation of the
program; and''; and
(C) in subsection (c), by striking ``2005 through
2014'' and inserting ``2023 through 2029''; and
(4) in section 6, by adding at the end the following:
``(f) Appraisal Methodology.--
``(1) In general.--With respect to an appraisal related to
a land acquisition carried out under this Act, a Highlands
State shall use an appraisal methodology approved by the
Secretary of the Interior.
``(2) Alternative appraisal methodology.--A Highlands State
may petition the Secretary of the Interior to consider an
alternative appraisal methodology when there is a conflict, in
any Highlands State, between--
``(A) an appraisal methodology approved by the
Secretary of the Interior under paragraph (1); and
``(B) applicable State law.''.
Passed the House of Representatives April 26, 2022.
Attest:
CHERYL L. JOHNSON,
Clerk.
Calendar No. 352
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 2793
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To reauthorize the Highlands Conservation Act, to authorize States to
use funds from that Act for administrative purposes, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
April 27, 2022
Received; read twice and placed on the calendar