HB 2377 Initials EB/BSR Page 1 Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Fifty-sixth Legislature Second Regular Session HB 2377: federal lands; state management costs Sponsor: Representative Diaz, LD 19 Committee on Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Overview Requires the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) to conduct and complete a cost study of the annual price to manage all federal land in Arizona that is not under the control of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) or the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). History The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 governs how federal lands are administered under the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. This act allows public land to be sold if the Secretary of Interior determines that the tract of land meets any of the following criteria: 1) the tract is difficult and prohibitively expensive to manage and unsuitable for management by another department or agency; 2) the tract is no longer required for the federal purpose for which it was originally acquired; or 3) selling the tract will serve important public objectives that cannot be achieved on nonpublic lands and that outweigh other public objectives and values which would otherwise be served by maintaining this tract in federal ownership (43 U.S.C. § 1713). Public lands are generally sold through competitive bid at a public auction. However, the Secretary of Interior may adopt a modified competitive bidding process where some preferences of adjoining landowners are recognized or directly sell the land to a party when circumstances warrant. In any case, public lands cannot be sold for less than their fair market value (U.S.C. § 43-1713). Provisions 1. Requires the OAG to conduct and complete a cost study of the annual price to manage all federal land in Arizona that are not under the control of DOD or BOR. (Sec. 1) 2. States the OAG must assume that all federal land, except land controlled by DOD or BOR, is given to Arizona at no cost. (Sec. 1) 3. Requires the following agencies to cooperate with and provide all necessary information to the Auditor General: a) The Arizona Game and Fish Department; b) The Arizona State Parks Board; c) The Arizona Department of Administration; d) The Arizona Department of Law; e) The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality; f) The Arizona Department of Water Resources; HB 2377 Initials EB/BSR Page 2 Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs g) The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management; h) The Arizona State Land Department; and i) any other agency or political subdivision the OAG deems to have relevant information. (Sec. 1) 4. Instructs the OAG, within one year after the effective date, to submit the cost study to the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the Hou se of Representatives and provide a copy to the Secretary of State. (Sec. 1) 5. Repeals these requirements on January 1, 2026. (Sec. 1) ☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note