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119-hr-718119th Congress
Public Lands in Public Hands Act
Sponsored By: Representative Zinke, Ryan K. [R-MT-1]
In Committee
Summary
Would stop most transfers of publicly accessible federal land to non‑federal owners to keep access in public hands. This bill would bar the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture from transferring title when a tract is publicly accessible or is contiguous to publicly accessible or government‑owned land, and it would prohibit subdividing Federal land to meet transfer‑size rules.
Show full summary
- Families and outdoor users would see fewer park, trail, and waterway parcels turned over to private owners, preserving places for recreation and local access.
- Federal land managers would face a clear sale limit but retain a narrow set of exceptions. Transfers under existing laws and authorized land exchanges remain possible, and parcels under 300 acres or under 5 acres if reachable by public waterway are allowed in some cases.
- Developers and private buyers would have reduced ability to buy contiguous, publicly reachable Federal parcels, though specific statutes such as the Small Tract Act, Recreation and Public Purposes Act, and various Alaska and Native allotment laws can still authorize transfers.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Protect public access to federal land
If enacted, the bill would bar the Interior and Agriculture Secretaries from giving title of publicly accessible Federal land to non-Federal parties. "Publicly accessible tract" would mean federal land run by the Interior or Forest Service that is reachable by a public road, trail, waterway, easement, or right-of-way. The bill would still allow some transfers: parcels under 300 acres (or under 5 acres if reached by water), transfers allowed by a set of existing statutes, transfers explicitly authorized by Federal law, and land exchanges. The bill would also stop agencies from subdividing land just to meet small-parcel size rules.
No change to corner‑stepping law
If enacted, the bill would say nothing in it may be used to change or interpret the legality of stepping over a property corner between public parcels. This would limit citing the bill in boundary-dispute or corner-stepping arguments. It would not itself change existing property boundary law.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Zinke, Ryan K. [R-MT-1]
MT • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2]
NM • D
Sponsored 1/23/2025
Rep. Simpson, Michael K. [R-ID-2]
ID • R
Sponsored 4/8/2025
Rep. Downing, Troy [R-MT-2]
MT • R
Sponsored 4/8/2025
Rep. Bynum, Janelle S. [D-OR-5]
OR • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Rep. Kim, Young [R-CA-40]
CA • R
Sponsored 6/27/2025
Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2]
NH • D
Sponsored 7/10/2025
Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8]
WA • D
Sponsored 7/17/2025
Rep. Kean, Thomas H. [R-NJ-7]
NJ • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]
VA • D
Sponsored 9/9/2025
Rep. Ciscomani, Juan [R-AZ-6]
AZ • R
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
CO • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
NJ • D
Sponsored 1/7/2026
Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6]
MI • D
Sponsored 1/30/2026
Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4]
OR • D
Sponsored 2/4/2026
Rep. Stanton, Greg [D-AZ-4]
AZ • D
Sponsored 2/24/2026
Rep. Kiley, Kevin [I-CA-3]
CA • I
Sponsored 4/16/2026
Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/20/2026
Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18]
CA • D
Sponsored 7/22/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov