Public Lands Integrity Act

Key Points

• This bill would change Senate rules to block the sale, disposal, or transfer of federal lands through fast-track budget bills that only need a simple majority to pass. It does this by adding federal land sales to the list of items considered "extraneous" under the Byrd Rule.
• The Byrd Rule already bars several types of provisions from budget reconciliation bills. This bill adds a new category (G) to that list, specifically targeting land sales and transfers.
• If enacted, any future effort to sell or transfer federal lands would need to overcome the 60-vote Senate filibuster threshold instead of passing with a simple majority through reconciliation. This makes it much harder for one party to push through land sales without bipartisan support.
• The bill was introduced by Sen. Bennet of Colorado with co-sponsors Wyden, Merkley, and Heinrich, and has been referred to the Senate Budget Committee.