# 119-hr-2771: Forest Legacy Management Flexibility Act

119-hr-2771, Forest Legacy Management Flexibility Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8] (D-CA); status introduced (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2771
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2771
- Congress: 119
- Title: Forest Legacy Management Flexibility Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-04-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 11
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**State approval of qualified organizations to manage Forest Legacy conservation easements.** This bill would let States ask the Secretary to authorize accredited third-party organizations to acquire, hold, and monitor conservation easements under the Forest Legacy Program, and it sets eligibility, accreditation, and reversion rules. - States: At a State's request the Secretary would be able to authorize the State to approve qualified organizations to hold and manage Forest Legacy easements, replacing a Vermont-specific rule with an option for any State. - Qualified organizations: Groups must meet Internal Revenue Code 170(h)(3) standards, operate principally for conservation, have no related AG or IRS enforcement actions, and keep accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission or an approved successor. - Reversion and oversight: If an organization fails to carry out duties, alters an easement contrary to the program's needs, or improperly conveys it, the easement rights would revert to the State or to another State-approved qualified organization. - Landowners and projects: Easements held by approved organizations must align with the State's applicable assessment of need for the conservation project. - Program administration: The bill also updates cross-references, redesignates a subsection, and changes Vermont-specific language to apply more broadly to States.

## Cosponsors (11)

- Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-41] (R-CA), 2025-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2025-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9] (D-CA), 2025-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA), 2025-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] (D-CA), 2025-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-04-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI), 2025-04-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gray, Adam [D-CA-13] (D-CA), 2025-06-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19] (D-NY), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27] (D-CA), 2025-12-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR), 2026-04-06T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More land trusts for forest easements: benefit, low. States would be able to ask the Agriculture Secretary to let them approve certain land trusts to hold Forest Legacy easements. These trusts would need IRS‑qualified charity status and land trust accreditation. They would also need a clean enforcement record on donated easements and show they can mo…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-2771 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2771)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2771 (as of 2026-04-21).