I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2793 
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 fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To reauthorize the Highlands Conservation Act, to authorize 
States to use funds from that Act for administrative 
purposes, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Highlands Conserva-
tion Reauthorization Act of 2021’’. 
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SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE HIGHLANDS CON-
SERVATION ACT. 
The Highlands Conservation Act (Public Law 108– 
421; 118 Stat. 2375) is amended— 
(1) in section 3— 
(A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(1) HIGHLANDS
REGION.—The term ‘High-
lands region’ means— 
‘‘(A) the area depicted on the map entitled 
‘The Highlands Region’, dated June 2004, up-
dated after the date of enactment of the High-
lands Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2021 
to comprise each municipality included on the 
list of municipalities included in the Highlands 
region as of that date of enactment, and main-
tained in the headquarters of the Forest Service 
in Washington, District of Columbia; and 
‘‘(B) a municipality approved by the Direc-
tor of the United States Fish and Wildlife Serv-
ice under section 4(e).’’; 
(B) in paragraph (3), by amending sub-
paragraph (B) to read as follows: 
‘‘(B) identified by a Highlands State as 
having high conservation value using the best 
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available science and geographic information 
systems; and’’; 
(C) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking ‘‘; or’’ 
and inserting ‘‘, including a political subdivision 
thereof; or’’; and 
(D) by striking paragraphs (5) through 
(7); 
(2) in section 4— 
(A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘in 
the Study’’ and all that follows through the end 
of the paragraph and inserting ‘‘using the best 
available science and geographic information 
systems; and’’; 
(B) in subsection (c), by amending para-
graph (5) to read as follows: 
‘‘(5) provides that land conservation partner-
ship projects will be consistent with areas identified 
as having high conservation value in accordance with 
the purposes described in section 2 in the Highlands 
region.’’; 
(C) 
in 
subsection 
(e), 
by 
striking 
‘‘$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2005 
through 2021’’ and inserting ‘‘$20,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2022 through 2028’’; 
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(D) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub-
section (g); and 
(E) by inserting after subsection (d) the 
following: 
‘‘(e) REQUEST FOR INCLUSION OF ADDITIONAL MU-
NICIPALITY.—The Director of the United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service may, at the request of a Highlands State, 
approve the inclusion of a municipality within the State 
as part of the Highlands region. 
‘‘(f) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.— 
‘‘(1) FEDERAL
ADMINISTRATION.—The Sec-
retary of the Interior may not expend more than 
$300,000 for the administration of this Act in each 
fiscal year. 
‘‘(2) STATE
ADMINISTRATION.—A State that 
receives funds under this section for a land con-
servation partnership project may not use more than 
5 percent of the funds to administer the land con-
servation partnership project.’’; 
(3) in section 5— 
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘the 
Study, Update, and any future study that the 
Forest Service may undertake in’’; 
(B) in subsection (b)— 
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(i) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘, in-
cluding a Pennsylvania and Connecticut 
Update’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘the 
findings’’ and all that follows through the 
end of the paragraph and inserting ‘‘with 
stakeholders regarding implementation of 
the program; and’’; and 
(C) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘2005 
through 2014’’ and inserting ‘‘2022 through 
2028’’; and 
(4) in section 6, by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(f) APPRAISAL METHODOLOGY.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—With respect to an ap-
praisal related to a land acquisition carried out 
under this Act, a Highlands State may use an ap-
praisal methodology approved by the Secretary of 
the Interior. 
‘‘(2) 
ALTERNATIVE
APPRAISAL
METHOD-
OLOGY.—A Highlands State may petition the Sec-
retary of the Interior to consider an alternative ap-
praisal methodology when there is a conflict, in any 
Highlands State, between— 
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‘‘(A) an appraisal methodology approved 
by the Secretary of the Interior under para-
graph (1); and 
‘‘(B) applicable State law.’’. 
Æ 
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