(1) The Federal Government controls over 80 
percent of all of the land within the State of Ne-
vada, which is a greater percentage than any other 
State. 
(2) The paucity of State land and privately con-
trolled land in Nevada severely constrains the size 
and diversity of Nevada’s economy. 
(3) The Federal Government promised all new 
States, in their statehood enabling Act contracts, 
that it would dispose of federally controlled public 
lands within the borders of those States. 
(4) The Federal Government has honored this 
promise with 38 States. 
(5) The Federal Government has failed to 
honor this promise with, and continues to control 
significant percentages of the land within, the States 
of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, 
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and 
Washington. 
(6) The United States Supreme Court has de-
clared that statehood enabling Act contracts are 
‘‘solemn compacts’’ with enforceable rights and obli-
gations. 
(7) Nevada could generate significant net rev-
enue for the benefit of its lands and people if it were 
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afforded the opportunity to manage an expanded 
State-controlled land portfolio. 
(8) A transfer of federally administered land to 
Nevada can be accomplished in phases. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS IN THIS ACT. 
In this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘identified Federal lands’’ means 
all lands within the State of Nevada that are owned, 
managed, or controlled by the Federal Government 
acting through the Secretary of Agriculture or the 
Secretary of the Interior, excluding the following: 
(A) Components of the National Wilder-
ness Preservation System, National Park Sys-
tem, and National Wildlife Refuge System. 
(B) National Conservation Areas. 
(C) National Monuments designated pur-
suant to the Act of June 6, 1908 (commonly 
known as the Antiquities Act of 1906). 
(D) Lands designated as Areas of Critical 
Environmental 
Concern 
for 
Protection 
of 
Desert Tortoise by the Bureau of Land Man-
agement. 
(E) Lands allocated as Herd Management 
Areas for Wild Horses and Burros. 
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(F) Lands withdrawn and reserved for use 
by the Department of Defense or the Depart-
ment of Energy. 
(G) Federally recognized Indian reserva-
tions and lands administered or held in trust by 
the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 
(H) Bureau of Reclamation lands not iden-
tified as surplus. 
(2) The term ‘‘Secretary concerned’’ means— 
(A) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re-
spect to identified Federal lands administered 
by that Secretary; and 
(B) the Secretary of the Interior, with re-
spect to identified Federal lands administered 
by that Secretary. 
(3) The term ‘‘select beneficiaries’’ means any 
of the following: 
(A) Public elementary and secondary edu-
cation. 
(B) Public higher education. 
(C) Public specialized education. 
(D) Public mental and medical health serv-
ices. 
(E) Social, senior, and veterans services. 
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(F) Public programs for recovery plan de-
velopment and implementation for candidate 
and threatened or endangered species. 
(G) Political subdivisions of the State of 
Nevada, but only with respect to payment for 
services and infrastructure on conveyed identi-
fied Federal lands that would otherwise be fi-
nanced through property taxes or other reve-
nues available to a political subdivision of the 
State. 
(4) The term ‘‘State’’ means the State of Ne-
vada. 
SEC. 4. CONVEYANCE OF IDENTIFIED FEDERAL LANDS TO 
THE STATE OF NEVADA. 
(a) CONVEYANCE REQUIRED.—As provided in this 
Act, the Secretary concerned shall convey, in phases and 
without consideration, to the State of Nevada all right, 
title, and interest of the United States in and to identified 
Federal lands for the purpose of permitting the State to 
use the conveyed lands to support select beneficiaries. 
(b) CONDITION OF CONVEYANCE.—All conveyances 
under this Act shall be subject to the condition that the 
State hold the identified Federal lands in trust for the 
select beneficiaries, except the State may sell, lease, or 
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securitize lands acquired under this Act to cover the cost 
of management of the newly acquired lands. 
(c) SELECTION OF LANDS FOR CONVEYANCE.—The 
State is authorized to select the identified Federal lands 
to be conveyed under this Act. 
(d) VALID EXISTING RIGHTS AND USES.—All con-
veyances under this Act shall be subject to— 
(1) valid existing rights; and 
(2) valid existing uses on, permits for, and pub-
lic access to the conveyed lands, as in effect at the 
time of conveyance, subject to State law. 
(e) CONVEYANCE OF ENTIRE INTEREST.—For iden-
tified Federal lands conveyed under this Act, title to and 
ownership of both federally held surface and subsurface 
estate, and appurtenant federally held water rights, shall 
pass to the State. 
SEC. 5. INITIAL CONVEYANCE PHASE. 
(a) CONVEYANCE REQUIRED.—As soon as prac-
ticable after selection by the State, the Secretary con-
cerned shall convey to the State pursuant to section 3 
identified Federal lands selected by the State from the fol-
lowing categories of identified Federal lands: 
(1) Lands identified as suitable for disposal in 
the report to Congress submitted by the Secretary of 
Agriculture on May 27, 1997, pursuant to section 
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