I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8849 

To facilitate land exchanges in California between the California State Lands 

Commission and the Department of the Interior, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 3, 2020 

Mr. COOK introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To facilitate land exchanges in California between the California State Lands Commission and the Department of 

the Interior, 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 ‘‘California Desert Con5 servation Enhancement Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CALIFORNIA STATE SCHOOL LAND. 

7 Section 707 of the California Desert Protection Act 

8 of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 410aaa–77) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

10 following: 


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1 ‘‘(5) SPECIAL DEPOSIT FUND ACCOUNT.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Assembled land ex3 changes may be used to carry out this section 

4 through the sale of surplus Federal property 

5 and subsequent acquisitions of State school 

6 land. 

7 ‘‘(B) RECEIPTS.—Past and future receipts 

8 from the sale of property described in sub9 section (a), less any costs incurred related to 

10 the sale, shall be deposited in a Special Deposit 

11 Fund Account established in the Treasury. 

12 ‘‘(C) USE.—Funds accumulated in the 

13 Special Deposit Fund Account may be used by 

14 the Secretary, without an appropriation, to ac15 quire State school lands or interest in the land 

16 consistent with this section.’’; and 

17 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(e) MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT.— 

19 ‘‘(1) TRANSACTIONS BEFORE JANUARY 1, 

20 2018.—Any transaction completed pursuant to this 

21 section before January 1, 2018— 

22 ‘‘(A) is deemed to be in compliance with 

23 the terms of the October 26, 1995, Memo24 randum of Agreement between the commission, 


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1 the general services administration, and the 

2 Secretary; and 

3 ‘‘(B) meets the requirements of subsection 

4 (a). 

5 ‘‘(2) TRANSACTIONS ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 

6 2018.—Any transaction completed pursuant to this 

7 section on or after January 1, 2018, that satisfies 

8 the terms of the October 26, 1995, Memorandum of 

9 Agreement shall be considered to be in compliance 

10 with subsection (a).’’. 

11 SEC. 3. PROHIBITED USES OF ACQUIRED, DONATED, AND 

12 CONSERVATION LAND. 

13 Section 714(a) of the California Desert Protection 

14 Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 410aaa–81c(a)) is amended by 

15 striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(3) CONSERVATION LAND.—The term ‘con17 servation land’ means— 

18 ‘‘(A) any land within the Conservation 

19 Area that is designated to satisfy the conditions 

20 of a Federal habitat conservation plan, general 

21 conservation plan, or State natural communities 

22 conservation plan; 

23 ‘‘(B) any national conservation land within 

24 the Conservation Area established pursuant to 

25 section 2002(b)(2)(D) of the Omnibus Public 


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1 Land Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 

2 7202(b)(2)(D)); and 

3 ‘‘(C) any area of critical environmental 

4 concern within the Conservation Area estab5 lished pursuant to section 202(c)(3) of the Fed6 eral Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 

7 (43 U.S.C. 1712(c)(3)).’’. 

Æ 


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