IB 

Union Calendar No. 218 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2793 

[Report No. 117–296] 

To reauthorize the Highlands Conservation Act, to authorize States to use 

funds from that Act for administrative purposes, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 22, 2021 

Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York (for himself, Ms. DEAN, Mr. 

FITZPATRICK, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mrs. HAYES, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. 

JONES, Mr. MALINOWSKI, Mr. MEUSER, Mr. MORELLE, Mr. NADLER, 

Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PASCRELL, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. SIRES, Mr. TONKO, Ms. 

VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, and Ms. WILD) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

APRIL 25, 2022 

Additional sponsors: Mr. DELGADO, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. 

CARTWRIGHT, Mr. COURTNEY, and Mr. HIMES

APRIL 25, 2022 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 22, 2021] 


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•HR 2793 RH

A BILL 

To reauthorize the Highlands Conservation Act, to authorize 

States to use funds from that Act for administrative 

purposes, and for other purposes. 


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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 ‘‘Highlands Conservation 

5 Reauthorization Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE HIGHLANDS CONSERVA7 TION ACT. 

8 The Highlands Conservation Act (Public Law 108– 

9 421; 118 Stat. 2375) is amended— 

10 (1) in section 3— 

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

12 follows: 

13 ‘‘(1) HIGHLANDS REGION.—The term ‘Highlands 

14 region’ means— 

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

16 ‘The Highlands Region’, dated June 2004, up17 dated after the date of enactment of the High18 lands Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2021 

19 to comprise each municipality included on the 

20 list of municipalities included in the Highlands 

21 region as of that date of enactment, and main22 tained in the headquarters of the Forest Service 

23 in Washington, District of Columbia; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) a municipality approved by the Direc2 tor of the United States Fish and Wildlife Serv3 ice under section 4(e).’’; 

4 (B) in paragraph (3), by amending sub5 paragraph (B) to read as follows: 

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

7 having high conservation value using the best 

8 available science and geographic information 

9 systems; and’’; 

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

11 and inserting ‘‘, including a political subdivi12 sion thereof; or’’; and 

13 (D) by striking paragraphs (5) through (7); 

14 (2) in section 4— 

15 (A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘in the 

16 Study’’ and all that follows through the end of 

17 the paragraph and inserting ‘‘using the best 

18 available science and geographic information 

19 systems; and’’; 

20 (B) in subsection (c), by amending para21 graph (5) to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘(5) provides that land conservation partnership 

23 projects will be consistent with areas identified as 

24 having high conservation value in accordance with 


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1 the purposes described in section 2 in the Highlands 

2 region.’’; 

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

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

5 years 2022 through 2028’’; 

6 (D) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub7 section (g); and 

8 (E) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(e) REQUEST FOR INCLUSION OF ADDITIONAL MU11 NICIPALITY.—The Director of the United States Fish and 

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

13 with the concurrence of the municipality, approve the inclu14 sion of a municipality within the State as part of the High15 lands region. 

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

17 ‘‘(1) FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary 

18 of the Interior may not expend more than $300,000 

19 for the administration of this Act in each fiscal year. 

20 ‘‘(2) STATE ADMINISTRATION.—A State that re21 ceives funds under this section for a land conservation 

22 partnership project may not use more than 5 percent 

23 of the funds to administer the land conservation part24 nership project.’’; 

25 (3) in section 5— 


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

2 Study, Update, and any future study that the 

3 Forest Service may undertake in’’; 

4 (B) in subsection (b)— 

5 (i) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘, in6 cluding a Pennsylvania and Connecticut 

7 Update’’; and 

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

9 findings’’ and all that follows through the 

10 end of the paragraph and inserting ‘‘with 

11 stakeholders regarding implementation of 

12 the program; and’’; and 

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

14 through 2014’’ and inserting ‘‘2022 through 

15 2028’’; and 

16 (4) in section 6, by adding at the end the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(f) APPRAISAL METHODOLOGY.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to an appraisal 

20 related to a land acquisition carried out under this 

21 Act, a Highlands State shall use an appraisal meth22 odology approved by the Secretary of the Interior. 

23 ‘‘(2) ALTERNATIVE APPRAISAL METHODOLOGY.— 

24 A Highlands State may petition the Secretary of the 

25 Interior to consider an alternative appraisal methodVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:17 Apr 25, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2793.RH H2793

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1 ology when there is a conflict, in any Highlands 

2 State, between— 

3 ‘‘(A) an appraisal methodology approved by 

4 the Secretary of the Interior under paragraph 

5 (1); and 

6 ‘‘(B) applicable State law.’’. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 218 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2793 

[Report No. 117–296] 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the Highlands Conservation Act, to 

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

APRIL 25, 2022 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS