H.R. 8849 – California Desert Conservation Enhancement Act

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Updated April 14, 2026 at 4:03 PM UTC

The California Desert Conservation Enhancement Act streamlines land swaps between California’s State Lands Commission and the U.S. Department of the Interior. It sets up a special fund to capture proceeds from selling surplus federal land and allows those proceeds to be used directly to acquire state school lands. The bill also clarifies compliance rules for past and future transactions and expands the definition of “conservation land” to cover additional protected areas.

Key Provisions

Creates a Special Deposit Fund Account in the Treasury to hold money from sales of surplus federal property, and lets the Secretary use those funds—without a new appropriation—to buy California State school lands.
Specifies that any land‑exchange transaction completed before Jan. 1, 2018 automatically meets the terms of the 1995 Memorandum of Agreement, and that transactions on or after that date must satisfy the same agreement to be considered compliant.
Redefines “conservation land” in the California Desert Protection Act to include lands designated under federal or state habitat or natural‑community conservation plans, national conservation lands, and areas of critical environmental concern.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

December 3, 2020

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

December 3, 2020

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

December 3, 2020

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued December 3, 2020

I

116th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 8849

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 3, 2020

Mr. Cook introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

A BILL

To facilitate land exchanges in California between the California State Lands Commission and the Department of the Interior, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the California Desert Conservation Enhancement Act.

2.

California state school land

Section 707 of the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 410aaa–77) is amended—

(1)

in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following:

(5)

Special deposit fund account

(A)

In general

Assembled land exchanges may be used to carry out this section through the sale of surplus Federal property and subsequent acquisitions of State school land.

(B)

Receipts

Past and future receipts from the sale of property described in subsection (a), less any costs incurred related to the sale, shall be deposited in a Special Deposit Fund Account established in the Treasury.

(C)

Use

Funds accumulated in the Special Deposit Fund Account may be used by the Secretary, without an appropriation, to acquire State school lands or interest in the land consistent with this section.

; and

(2)

by adding at the end the following:

(e)

Memorandum of agreement

(1)

Transactions before January 1, 2018

Any transaction completed pursuant to this section before January 1, 2018—

(A)

is deemed to be in compliance with the terms of the October 26, 1995, Memorandum of Agreement between the commission, the general services administration, and the Secretary; and

(B)

meets the requirements of subsection (a).

(2)

Transactions on or after January 1, 2018

Any transaction completed pursuant to this section on or after January 1, 2018, that satisfies the terms of the October 26, 1995, Memorandum of Agreement shall be considered to be in compliance with subsection (a).

.

3.

Prohibited uses of acquired, donated, and conservation land

Section 714(a) of the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 410aaa–81c(a)) is amended by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following:

(3)

Conservation land

The term conservation land means—

(A)

any land within the Conservation Area that is designated to satisfy the conditions of a Federal habitat conservation plan, general conservation plan, or State natural communities conservation plan;

(B)

any national conservation land within the Conservation Area established pursuant to section 2002(b)(2)(D) of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7202(b)(2)(D)); and

(C)

any area of critical environmental concern within the Conservation Area established pursuant to section 202(c)(3) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712(c)(3)).

.