I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5836 
To provide for the orderly disposal of certain Federal lands, to benefit edu-
cation and other purposes through the sales of such lands, to consolidate 
Federal lands to improve management, to provide for the acquisition 
of lands for recreational and other opportunities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 14, 2016 
Mr. GOSAR (for himself, Mr. AMODEI, Mr. BUCK, Mr. COOK, Mr. FRANKS of 
Arizona, Mr. HARDY, Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia, Mr. LABRADOR, Mr. 
MCCLINTOCK, Mr. NEWHOUSE, Mr. SCHWEIKERT, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. 
STEWART, Mr. TIPTON, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. DUNCAN of Ten-
nessee, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. NUNES, Mr. BABIN, and Mr. COFFMAN) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for the orderly disposal of certain Federal lands, 
to benefit education and other purposes through the sales 
of such lands, to consolidate Federal lands to improve 
management, to provide for the acquisition of lands for 
recreational and other opportunities, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Hunting, Education, and Recreational Development Act’’ 
or the ‘‘HEARD Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings and purpose. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. Disposal. 
Sec. 5. Lands to provide or increase recreational and other opportunities. 
Sec. 6. Public availability of information on land potentially available for dis-
posal. 
Sec. 7. Recreation and Public Purposes Act. 
Sec. 8. Limitations for administrative costs. 
Sec. 9. Recording. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The total Federal estate exceeds more than 
635,000,000 acres. 
(2) The Federal Government owns parcels of 
varying size interspersed with or adjacent to private, 
State, and tribal lands throughout the United 
States, making many of these parcels difficult to 
manage and more appropriate for disposal. 
(3) The Bureau of Land Management identifies 
certain lands potentially available for disposal in re-
visions to resource management plans. 
(4) Existing law does not require the Bureau of 
Land Management to dispose of identified lands on 
a regular or frequent basis. As a result, lands identi-
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fied as potentially available for disposal under valid 
resource management plans are rarely disposed of by 
the Bureau of Land Management. 
(5) The Forest Service has several authorities 
to dispose of Federal lands, but such authorities are 
rarely used. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to provide for the orderly disposal of certain 
Federal lands; 
(2) to benefit education through the sales of 
such lands and research focused on natural resource 
issues at educational institutions; 
(3) to consolidate Federal lands to achieve bet-
ter management; and 
(4) to provide for the acquisition of certain 
lands to provide or increase recreational and other 
purposes. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
As used in this Act: 
(1) HUNTING.—The term ‘‘hunting’’ means use 
of a firearm, bow, or other authorized means in the 
lawful— 
(A) pursuit, shooting, capture, collection, 
trapping, or killing of wildlife; or 
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four or more tires, intended by the manufacturer for 
recreational use by one or more persons and having 
all of the following characteristics: 
(A) A steering wheel for steering control. 
(B) Foot controls for throttle and service 
brake. 
(C) Non-straddle seating. 
(D) Maximum speed capability greater 
than 30 miles per hour. 
(E) Gross vehicle weight rating no greater 
than 3,750 pounds. 
(F) Less than 80 inches in overall width, 
exclusive of accessories. 
(G) Engine displacement equal to or less 
than 61 cubic inches for gasoline fueled en-
gines. 
(H) Identification by means of a 17-char-
acter personal or vehicle information number. 
(5) 
RECREATION
AND
PUBLIC
PURPOSES 
ACT.—The term ‘‘Recreation and Public Purposes 
Act’’ means the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to authorize 
acquisition or use of public lands by States, counties, 
or municipalities for recreational purposes’’, ap-
proved June 14, 1926 (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.). 
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(6) 
RECREATIONAL
SHOOTING.—The 
term 
‘‘recreational shooting’’ means any form of sport, 
training, competition, or pastime, whether formal or 
informal, that involves the discharge of a rifle, hand-
gun, or shotgun, or the use of a bow. 
(7) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term ‘‘Sec-
retary concerned’’ means— 
(A) the Secretary of the Interior, in ref-
erence to lands under the jurisdiction of that 
Secretary; and 
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, in ref-
erence to lands under the jurisdiction of that 
Secretary. 
(8) SPECIAL ACCOUNT.—The term ‘‘special ac-
count’’ means the account in the Treasury of the 
United States established under this Act. 
(9) UNIT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—The term 
‘‘unit of local government’’ means the governing 
body of each, community, county, municipality, city, 
town, or township created pursuant to State law 
with boundaries interspersed with or adjacent to 
Federal lands. 
SEC. 4. DISPOSAL. 
(a) DISPOSAL.—In accordance with this Act, and 
other applicable law, and subject to valid existing rights, 
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the Secretary concerned is authorized to dispose of Fed-
eral land. 
(b) RESERVATION FOR LOCAL PUBLIC PURPOSES.— 
Not less than 30 days before the offering of lands for sale 
or exchange pursuant to subsection (a), States or the unit 
of local government in whose jurisdiction the lands are lo-
cated may elect to obtain any such lands for local public 
purposes pursuant to the provisions of the Recreation and 
Public Purposes Act. Pursuant to any such election, the 
Secretary concerned shall retain the elected lands for con-
veyance to the States or such unit of the local government 
in accordance with the provisions of the Recreation and 
Public Purposes Act. 
(c) SELECTION.— 
(1) JOINT
SELECTION
REQUIRED.—The Sec-
retary concerned and the unit of local government in 
whose jurisdiction lands referred to in subsection (a) 
are located shall jointly select lands to be offered for 
sale or exchange under this section. The Secretary 
concerned shall coordinate land disposal activities 
with the unit of local government concerned. Land 
disposal activities of the Secretary concerned shall 
be consistent with local land use planning and zon-
ing requirements and recommendations. 
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(2) OFFERING.—(A) The Secretary concerned 
shall make the first offering of land as soon as prac-
ticable after land has been selected in accordance 
with this subsection. 
(B) The Secretary of the Interior shall dispose 
of not less than 10 percent of lands currently identi-
fied by the Bureau of Land Management for dis-
posal as of the date of the enactment of this Act in 
each of the first 8 years after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, for a total of 80 percent of such 
lands by the end of the eighth year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act. 
(C) The Secretary of the Interior shall dispose 
of not less than 20 percent of lands identified by the 
Bureau of Land Management for disposal in any re-
source management plan amendment made after the 
date of the enactment of this Act in each of the 4 
years after such an amendment is made, for a total 
of 80 percent of such lands by the end of the fourth 
year after the date of such amendment. 
(D) The Secretary of Agriculture shall dispose 
of not less than 10 percent of lands currently identi-
fied by the Forest Service for disposal as of the date 
of the enactment of this Act in each of the first 8 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act, for 
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a total of 80 percent of such lands by the end of the 
eighth year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
(E) The Secretary of Agriculture shall dispose 
of not less than 20 percent of lands identified by the 
Forest Service for disposal in any resource manage-
ment plan amendment made after the date of the 
enactment of this Act in each of the 4 years after 
such an amendment is made, for a total of 80 per-
cent of such lands by the end of the fourth year 
after the date of such amendment. 
(F) Private landowners with inholdings inter-
spersed with or adjacent to Federal land being dis-
posed of shall have the first right of refusal for the 
purchase of land sold or exchanged under this Act. 
(d) DISPOSITION OF PROCEEDS.— 
(1) LAND
SALES.—Of the gross proceeds of 
sales of land under this subsection in a fiscal year 
shall be made available as follows: 
(A) Fifteen percent shall be paid directly 
to the State where the sale takes place for use 
to supplement the education of students in kin-
dergarten through grade 12, to supplement 
public support of institutions of public higher 
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education, and to supplement State agricultural 
and natural resource agencies. 
(B) Fifteen percent shall be paid directly 
to the one or more land grant universities with-
in the boundaries of the State of which the rev-
enue is derived for the purposes of providing 
agricultural and natural resources research, ex-
tension, teaching and infrastructure. 
(C) Ten percent shall be paid directly to 
the one or more counties within the boundaries 
of which the revenue is derived with 50 percent 
of those revenues going to a county extension 
office. 
(D) Ten percent shall be deposited in a 
special account created in the Treasury of the 
United States for use pursuant to the provi-
sions of paragraph (3). 
(E) The remainder shall be deposited into 
the General Fund of the Treasury. 
(2) PAYMENTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Amounts paid to land 
grant universities under subsection (B) shall be 
in addition to any other payments of public 
support. 
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