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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
2 

•HR 2793 EH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Highlands Conserva3 tion Reauthorization Act of 2022’’. 

4 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE HIGHLANDS CON5 SERVATION ACT. 

6 The Highlands Conservation Act (Public Law 108– 

7 421; 118 Stat. 2375) is amended— 

8 (1) in section 3— 

9 (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

10 follows: 

11 ‘‘(1) HIGHLANDS REGION.—The term ‘High12 lands region’ means— 

13 ‘‘(A) the area depicted on the map entitled 

14 ‘The Highlands Region’, dated June 2004, up15 dated after the date of enactment of the High16 lands Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2022 

17 to comprise each municipality included on the 

18 list of municipalities included in the Highlands 

19 region as of that date of enactment, and main20 tained in the headquarters of the Forest Service 

21 in Washington, District of Columbia; and 

22 ‘‘(B) a municipality approved by the Direc23 tor of the United States Fish and Wildlife Serv24 ice under section 4(e).’’; 

25 (B) in paragraph (3), by amending sub26 paragraph (B) to read as follows: 
3 

•HR 2793 EH

1 ‘‘(B) identified by a Highlands State as 

2 having high conservation value using the best 

3 available science and geographic information 

4 systems; and’’; 

5 (C) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking ‘‘; or’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘, including a political subdivision 

7 thereof; or’’; and 

8 (D) by striking paragraphs (5) through 

9 (7); 

10 (2) in section 4— 

11 (A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘in 

12 the Study’’ and all that follows through the end 

13 of the paragraph and inserting ‘‘using the best 

14 available science and geographic information 

15 systems; and’’; 

16 (B) in subsection (c), by amending para17 graph (5) to read as follows: 

18 ‘‘(5) provides that land conservation partner19 ship projects will be consistent with areas identified 

20 as having high conservation value in accordance with 

21 the purposes described in section 2 in the Highlands 

22 region.’’; 

23 (C) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘fiscal 

24 years 2005 through 2021’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal 

25 years 2023 through 2029’’; 
4 

•HR 2793 EH

1 (D) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub2 section (g); and 

3 (E) by inserting after subsection (d) the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(e) REQUEST FOR INCLUSION OF ADDITIONAL MU6 NICIPALITY.—The Director of the United States Fish and 

7 Wildlife Service may, at the request of a Highlands State, 

8 with the concurrence of the municipality, approve the in9 clusion of a municipality within the State as part of the 

10 Highlands region. 

11 ‘‘(f) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.— 

12 ‘‘(1) FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION.—The Sec13 retary of the Interior may not expend more than 

14 $300,000 for the administration of this Act in each 

15 fiscal year. 

16 ‘‘(2) STATE ADMINISTRATION.—A State that 

17 receives funds under this section for a land con18 servation partnership project may not use more than 

19 5 percent of the funds to administer the land con20 servation partnership project.’’; 

21 (3) in section 5— 

22 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘the 

23 Study, Update, and any future study that the 

24 Forest Service may undertake in’’; 

25 (B) in subsection (b)— 
5 

•HR 2793 EH

1 (i) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘, in2 cluding a Pennsylvania and Connecticut 

3 Update’’; and 

4 (ii) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘the 

5 findings’’ and all that follows through the 

6 end of the paragraph and inserting ‘‘with 

7 stakeholders regarding implementation of 

8 the program; and’’; and 

9 (C) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘2005 

10 through 2014’’ and inserting ‘‘2023 through 

11 2029’’; and 

12 (4) in section 6, by adding at the end the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(f) APPRAISAL METHODOLOGY.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to an ap16 praisal related to a land acquisition carried out 

17 under this Act, a Highlands State shall use an ap18 praisal methodology approved by the Secretary of 

19 the Interior. 

20 ‘‘(2) ALTERNATIVE APPRAISAL METHOD21 OLOGY.—A Highlands State may petition the Sec22 retary of the Interior to consider an alternative ap23 praisal methodology when there is a conflict, in any 

24 Highlands State, between— 
6 

•HR 2793 EH

1 ‘‘(A) an appraisal methodology approved 

2 by the Secretary of the Interior under para3 graph (1); and 

4 ‘‘(B) applicable State law.’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives April 26, 2022. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2793 

AN ACT 

To reauthorize the Highlands Conservation Act, to 

administrative purposes, and for other purposes. authorize States to use funds from that Act for