I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 353
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to dispose of all public lands adminis-
tered by the Bureau of Land Management that have been identified 
for disposal under the Federal land use planning process. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 27, 2003
Mr. DUNCAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Resources 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to dispose of all 
public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Man-
agement that have been identified for disposal under 
the Federal land use planning process.
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 ‘‘Federal Lands Im-
provement Act of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. PUBLIC LANDS DISPOSAL REQUIREMENT. 
(a) DISPOSAL REQUIREMENT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 7 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, and subject 
to paragraphs (2), (3), and (4), the Secretary of the 
Interior shall dispose of all right, title, and interest 
of the United States in and to all public lands ad-
ministered by the Bureau of Land Management 
that, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, 
have been identified for disposal under the land use 
planning process under section 203 of the Federal 
Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 
U.S.C. 1713). 
(2) MILESTONES.—Of the lands referred to in 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall dispose of—
(A) at least 1⁄3 before the end of the 3-year 
period beginning on the date of the enactment 
of this Act; and 
(B) at least 2⁄3 before the end of the 5-year 
period beginning on such date. 
(3) RETENTION OF WILDERNESS LANDS.—The 
Secretary shall not under this section dispose of any 
lands located in any wilderness area or wilderness 
study area. 
(4) NET
COST
LIMITATION.—The Secretary 
shall not under this section dispose of a parcel of 
land if cost to the United States of the disposal ex-
ceeds the amount that would be received by the 
United States for the parcel. 
(b) MANNER OF DISPOSAL.—The Secretary shall dis-
pose of public lands under this section—
(1) in accordance with the procedures that 
apply under subsection (f) of section 203 of the Fed-
eral Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 
U.S.C. 1713(f)) to sales of public lands under that 
section; and 
(2) in parcels of 160 acres or less. 
(c) DETERMINATION OF LANDS FOR DISPOSAL.—
The Secretary may determine the public lands to be dis-
posed of under this section. 
(d) USE OF PROCEEDS.—Of amounts received by the 
United States as proceeds of disposals of public lands 
under this section—
(1) 1⁄3 shall be deposited in the account estab-
lished by subsection (e); 
(2) 1⁄3 shall be paid to the county in which the 
lands are located for use by the county for any pur-
pose, which may include education, transportation 
and infrastructure, or preservation of open spaces; 
and
(3) 1⁄3 shall be deposited in the general fund of 
the Treasury and utilized to reduce the public debt.
(e) SPECIAL ACCOUNT.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the Treasury of the United States a separate ac-
count to be used in carrying out this section. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The account shall consist of—
(A) amounts deposited in the account 
under subsection (d); and 
(B) interest added to the account under 
paragraph (4) of this subsection. 
(3) USE.—
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Amounts in the ac-
count shall be available to the Secretary until 
expended, without further appropriation, to 
pay—
(i) subject to subparagraph (B), costs 
incurred by the Bureau of Land Manage-
ment in arranging disposals of public lands 
under this section, including the costs of 
land boundary surveys, compliance with 
the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), appraisals, 
environmental and cultural clearances, and 
public notice; 
(ii) the cost of acquisition from a will-
ing seller of environmentally sensitive land
or interests in such land in States in which 
are located public lands disposed of under 
this section; 
(iii) the cost of carrying out any nec-
essary revision or amendment of a current 
land use plan of the Bureau of Land Man-
agement that relates to public lands dis-
posed of under this section; 
(iv) the cost of projects or programs 
to restore or protect wetlands, riparian 
areas, or cultural, historic, prehistoric, or 
paleontological resources on public lands, 
including petroglyphs; and 
(v) the cost of projects, programs, or 
land acquisition to stabilize or restore 
water quality for water located or used on 
public lands.
(B) LIMITATIONS.—
(i) COSTS IN ARRANGING LAND DIS-
POSALS.—Costs charged against the ac-
count for the purposes described in sub-
paragraph (A)(i) shall not exceed the min-
imum amount practicable in view of the 
fair market value of the public lands dis-
posed of.