S. 4455: Public Lands Integrity Act

This bill generally prohibits provisions that result in the sale, disposal, or transfer of federal lands from being included in reconciliation legislation by requiring the provisions to be considered extraneous under the Senate's Byrd Rule.

The Senate's Byrd Rule (named after it's principal author, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia) prohibits the inclusion of matter in reconciliation legislation that is extraneous to a congressional committee's reconciliation directives in the associated congressional budget resolution. Reconciliation is an expedited method by which Congress may adopt changes in spending and revenue laws to achieve the budgetary goals reflected in a congressional budget resolution. Reconciliation bills are considered by Congress using expedited legislative procedures that prevent a filibuster and restrict amendments in the Senate.

For additional information, see CRS Report R48640, The Senate’s Byrd Rule: Frequently Asked Questions.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.