H. R. 6938—118
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR EXPERIENCED SERVICES PROGRAM 
SEC. 111. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law 
relating to Federal grants and cooperative agreements, the Sec-
retary of the Interior is authorized to make grants to, or enter 
into cooperative agreements with, private nonprofit organizations 
designated by the Secretary of Labor under title V of the Older 
Americans Act of 1965 to utilize the talents of older Americans 
in programs authorized by other provisions of law administered 
by the Secretary and consistent with such provisions of law. 
(b) Prior to awarding any grant or agreement under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall ensure that the agreement would not—
(1) result in the displacement of individuals currently 
employed by the Department, including partial displacement 
through reduction of non-overtime hours, wages, or employment 
benefits; 
(2) result in the use of an individual under the Department 
of the Interior Experienced Services Program for a job or func-
tion in a case in which a Federal employee is in a layoff 
status from the same or substantially equivalent job within 
the Department; or 
(3) affect existing contracts for services. 
OBLIGATION OF FUNDS 
SEC. 112. Amounts appropriated by this Act to the Department 
of the Interior shall be available for obligation and expenditure 
not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 
SEPARATION OF ACCOUNTS 
SEC. 113. The Secretary of the Interior, in order to implement 
an orderly transition to separate accounts of the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education, may transfer funds 
among and between the successor offices and bureaus affected by 
the reorganization only in conformance with the reprogramming 
guidelines described in this Act. 
PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF TAXES (PILT) 
SEC. 114. Section 6906 of title 31, United States Code, shall 
be applied by substituting ‘‘fiscal year 2026’’ for ‘‘fiscal year 2019’’. 
DISCLOSURE OF DEPARTURE OR ALTERNATE PROCEDURE APPROVAL 
SEC. 115. (a) Subject to subsection (b), in any case in which 
the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement or the Bureau 
of Ocean Energy Management prescribes or approves any departure 
or use of alternate procedure or equipment, in regards to a plan 
or permit, under 30 CFR 585.103; 30 CFR 550.141; 30 CFR 550.142; 
30 CFR 250.141; or 30 CFR 250.142, the head of such bureau 
shall post a description of such departure or alternate procedure 
or equipment use approval on such bureau’s publicly available 
website not more than 15 business days after such issuance. 
(b) The head of each bureau may exclude confidential business 
information.
H. R. 6938—119
LONG BRIDGE PROJECT 
SEC. 116. (a) AUTHORIZATION OF CONVEYANCE.—Hereafter, until 
the expiration of authority pursuant to subsection (e), on request 
by the State of Virginia or the District of Columbia for the purpose 
of the construction of rail and other infrastructure relating to the 
Long Bridge Project, the Secretary of the Interior may convey 
to the State or the District of Columbia, as applicable, all right, 
title, and interest of the United States in and to any portion 
of the approximately 4.4 acres of National Park Service land 
depicted as ‘‘Permanent Impact to NPS Land’’ on the Map dated 
May 15, 2020, that is identified by the State or the District of 
Columbia. 
(b) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—Such conveyance of the National 
Park Service land under subsection (a) shall be subject to any 
terms and conditions that the Secretary may require. If such con-
veyed land is no longer being used for the purposes specified in 
this section, the lands or interests therein shall revert to the 
National Park Service after they have been restored or remediated 
to the satisfaction of the Secretary. 
(c) CORRECTIONS.—The Secretary and the State or the District 
of Columbia, as applicable, by mutual agreement, may—
(1) make minor boundary adjustments to the National Park 
Service land to be conveyed to the State or the District of 
Columbia under subsection (a); and 
(2) correct any minor errors in the Map referred to in 
subsection (a). 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
(1) LONG BRIDGE PROJECT.—The term ‘‘Long Bridge Project’’ 
means the rail project, as identified by the Federal Railroad 
Administration, from Rosslyn (RO) Interlocking in Arlington, 
Virginia, to L’Enfant (LE) Interlocking in Washington, DC, 
which includes a bicycle and pedestrian bridge. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National 
Park Service. 
(3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State of Virginia. 
(e) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—The authority provided by 
this section shall expire once the conveyance described in subsection 
(a) has been completed. 
INTERAGENCY MOTOR POOL 
SEC. 117. Notwithstanding any other provision of law or Federal 
regulation, federally recognized Indian tribes or authorized tribal 
organizations that receive Tribally-Controlled School Grants pursu-
ant to Public Law 100–297 may obtain interagency motor vehicles 
and related services for performance of any activities carried out 
under such grants to the same extent as if they were contracting 
under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. 
APPRAISER PAY AUTHORITY 
SEC. 118. For fiscal year 2026, funds made available in this 
or any other Act or otherwise made available to the Department 
of the Interior for the Appraisal and Valuation Services Office 
may be used by the Secretary of the Interior to establish higher 
minimum rates of basic pay for employees of the Department of
H. R. 6938—120
the Interior in the Appraiser (GS–1171) job series at grades 11 
through 15 carrying out appraisals of real property and appraisal 
reviews conducted in support of the Department’s realty programs 
at rates no greater than 15 percent above the minimum rates 
of basic pay normally scheduled, and such higher rates shall be 
consistent with subsections (e) through (h) of section 5305 of title 
5, United States Code. 
SAGE-GROUSE 
SEC. 119. None of the funds made available by this or any 
other Act may be used by the Secretary of the Interior to write 
or issue pursuant to section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533)—
(1) a proposed rule for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus 
urophasianus); 
(2) a proposed rule for the Columbia basin distinct popu-
lation segment of greater sage-grouse. 
STATE CONSERVATION GRANTS 
SEC. 120. For expenses necessary to carry out section 200305 
of title 54, United States Code, the National Park Service may 
retain up to 7 percent of the State Conservation Grants program 
to provide to States, the District of Columbia, and insular areas, 
as matching grants to support state program administrative costs. 
HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND DEPOSITS 
SEC. 121. Section 303102 of title 54, United States Code, shall 
be applied by substituting ‘‘fiscal year 2026’’ for ‘‘fiscal year 2023’’. 
INTERIOR AUTHORITY FOR OPERATING EFFICIENCIES 
SEC. 122. (a) In fiscal years 2026 and 2027, the Secretary 
of the Interior may authorize and execute agreements to achieve 
operating efficiencies among and between two or more component 
bureaus and offices through the following activities: 
(1) co-locating in offices and facilities leased or owned by 
any such component and sharing related utilities and equip-
ment; 
(2) detailing or assigning staff on a non-reimbursable basis 
for up to 5 business days; and 
(3) sharing staff and equipment necessary to meet mission 
requirements. 
(b) The authority provided by subsection (a) is to support areas 
of mission alignment between and among component bureaus and 
offices or where geographic proximity allows for efficiencies. 
(c) Bureaus and offices entering into agreements authorized 
under subsections (a)(1) and (a)(3) shall bear costs for such agree-
ments in a manner that reflects their approximate benefit and 
share of total costs, which may or may not include indirect costs. 
(d) In furtherance of the requirement in subsection (c), the 
Secretary of the Interior may make transfers of funds in advance 
or on a reimbursable basis.
H. R. 6938—121
EMERGENCY LAW ENFORCEMENT CEILING 
SEC. 123. Section 103101 of title 54, United States Code, is 
amended in subsection (c)(1) by striking ‘‘$250,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$500,000’’. 
CONTRIBUTION AUTHORITY EXTENSION 
SEC. 124. Section 113 of division G of Public Law 113–76, 
as amended by Public Law 116–6, is further amended by striking 
‘‘2024’’ and inserting ‘‘2030’’. 
LIMITATION 
SEC. 125. If requested by the claimant of any mining claim 
located within the area covered by Public Land Order 7921, the 
Bureau of Land Management shall prioritize completion of a validity 
determination for such claim. The Bureau of Land Management 
shall strive to complete any such validity determination not later 
than 3 years of receipt of the request. 
RENEWAL 
SEC. 126. The first section of Public Law 99–338 (100 Stat. 
641) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘3 renewals’’ and inserting ‘‘7 renewals’’; 
and 
(2) by striking ‘‘of Southern California Edison Company’’. 
FIELD UNIT LOCAL HIRING 
SEC. 127. The Secretary of the Interior may recruit and directly 
appoint qualified individuals into the competitive service who are 
certified as maintaining a permanent and exclusive residence in 
the vicinity of a field unit, into any position at or below grades 
GS–9 or WG–15 or equivalent within such field unit: Provided, 
That any action authorized herein shall be consistent with the 
merit principles of section 2301 of such title 5, and with the public 
notice requirements of section 3327 of such title 5: Provided further, 
That appointments under this authority shall be considered compli-
ant with all applicable provisions of chapter 33 of title 5. 
GRANT APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS 
SEC. 128. Section 1521 of the American Indian, Alaska Native, 
and Native Hawaiian Culture and Art Development Act (20 U.S.C. 
4441) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding paragraph 
(1), by striking ‘‘private,’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c)(2)—
(A) in subparagraph (A)—
(i) by striking ‘‘be Native Hawaiians or’’ and 
inserting ‘‘include Native Hawaiians and’’; and 
(ii) by striking the comma at the end and inserting 
‘‘; and’’; 
(B) by striking subparagraphs (B) through (D); 
(C) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘of office’’; and 
(D) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subpara-
graph (B).