I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 998 

To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to require the Secretary of the Interior 

to convey to a State all right, title, and interest in and to a percentage 

of the amount of royalties and other amounts required to be paid to 

the State under that Act with respect to public land and deposits in 

the State, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 6, 2019 

Ms. CHENEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to require the Secretary 

of the Interior to convey to a State all right, title, and 

interest in and to a percentage of the amount of royalties 

and other amounts required to be paid to the State 

under that Act with respect to public land and deposits 

in the State, 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 ‘‘State Mineral Revenue 

5 Protection Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CONVEYANCE TO STATES OF PROPERTY INTEREST 

2 IN STATE SHARE OF ROYALTIES AND OTHER 

3 PAYMENTS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 35 of the Mineral Leasing 

5 Act (30 U.S.C. 191) is amended— 

6 (1) in the first sentence of subsection (a), by 

7 striking ‘‘shall be paid into the Treasury’’ and in8 serting ‘‘shall, except as provided in subsection (b), 

9 be paid into the Treasury’’; 

10 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(b) CONVEYANCE TO STATES OF PROPERTY INTER13 EST IN STATE SHARE.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

15 provision of law, on request of a State and in lieu 

16 of any payments to the State under subsection (a), 

17 the Secretary of the Interior shall convey to the 

18 State all right, title, and interest in and to the per19 centage specified in that subsection for that State of 

20 all amounts otherwise required to be paid into the 

21 Treasury under that subsection from sales, bonuses, 

22 royalties (including interest charges), and rentals for 

23 all public land or deposits located in the State. 

24 ‘‘(2) AMOUNT.—Notwithstanding any other 

25 provision of law, after a conveyance to a State under 

26 paragraph (1), any person shall pay directly to the 


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1 State any amount owed by the person for which the 

2 right, title, and interest has been conveyed to the 

3 State under this subsection. 

4 ‘‘(3) NOTICE.—The Secretary of the Interior 

5 shall promptly provide to each holder of a lease of 

6 public land to which subsection (a) applies that are 

7 located in a State to which right, title, and interest 

8 is conveyed under this subsection notice that— 

9 ‘‘(A) the Secretary of the Interior has con10 veyed to the State all right, title, and interest 

11 in and to the amounts referred to in paragraph 

12 (1); and 

13 ‘‘(B) the leaseholder is required to pay the 

14 amounts directly to the State.’’; and 

15 (3) in subsection (c)(1), by inserting ‘‘and ex16 cept as provided in subsection (b)’’ before ‘‘, any 

17 rentals’’. 

18 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

19 (1) Section 6(a) of the Mineral Leasing Act for 

20 Acquired Lands (30 U.S.C. 355(a)) is amended— 

21 (A) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘Sub22 ject to the provisions of section 35(b) of the 

23 Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 191(b)), all’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘All’’; and 


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1 (B) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘of 

2 the Act of February 25, 1920 (41 Stat. 450; 30 

3 U.S.C. 191)’’ and inserting ‘‘of the Mineral 

4 Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 191)’’. 

5 (2) Section 20(a) of the Geothermal Steam Act 

6 of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1019(a)) is amended in the mat7 ter preceding paragraph (1), in the second sentence, 

8 by striking ‘‘the provisions of subsection (b) of sec9 tion 35 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 

10 191(b)) and’’. 

11 (3) Section 205(f) of the Federal Oil and Gas 

12 Royalty Management Act of 1982 (30 U.S.C. 

13 1735(f)) is amended by striking ‘‘Such costs’’ 

14 through ‘‘mineral activities.’’. 

Æ 


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