Public Lands Integrity Act

Overview

The Public Lands Integrity Act (S.4455) would amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to treat provisions that result in the sale, disposal, or transfer of federal lands as extraneous under the Byrd Rule. The bill aims to increase scrutiny of any legislative provisions that would affect federal land ownership or disposition by elevating their status within budget rules.

Main purpose and intent

• To designate any provision that results in the sale, disposal, or transfer of federal lands as extraneous under the Byrd Rule.
• The Byrd Rule restricts extraneous or budgetary amendments to fiscal legislation considered on the Senate floor; designating land-disposition provisions as extraneous would block or delay such provisions unless they meet stricter Byrd Rule criteria for non-germane amendments.
• In short, the bill seeks to create a guardrail that makes land-sale or transfer provisions harder to move through Congress as part of budget or reconciliation processes.

Key provisions and changes

• Section 2 of the bill amends Section 313(b)(1) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
  • Revisions include:
  • Striking the existing reference to subparagraph (F) and inserting a revised text formatting.
  • Adding a new clause: “a provision that results in the sale, disposal, or transfer of Federal lands shall be considered extraneous” before the period at the end of the subsection.
• The practical effect is to codify that any legislative provision affecting federal land disposition is extraneous under the Byrd Rule, thereby subject to heightened scrutiny and potential exclusion from budget reconciliation measures.

Who or what would be affected

• Federal land management and disposition provisions in future budget-related or reconciliable legislation.
• Lawmakers proposing or attaching measures that involve selling, disposing of, or transferring federal lands.
• Congressional budget processes, particularly the Byrd Rule’s application during floor consideration of budget-related bills.

Procedural and timeline aspects

• Introduced in the Senate on April 30, 2026.
• Sponsored by Senator Michael Bennet, with co-sponsors including Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, John Hickenlooper, and Martin Heinrich.
• Referred to the Senate Committee on the Budget for consideration.
• No fiscal budget authority or appropriations changes are proposed; the bill changes procedural rules governing how land-disposition provisions are treated within budgetary legislation.

Implications

• If enacted, proponents of federal land sales or transfers would face increased procedural barriers during budget or reconciliation bill consideration.
• Opponents of land disposals might use the Byrd Rule designation to block or delay such provisions, arguing they are extraneous to budgetary matters.
• The bill does not alter existing land-management authorities or funding levels directly; it changes how the rules categorize and potentially constrain related legislative actions.