A Republican bill with 7 Republican cosponsors · See all 7 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the Legislative Approval for National Designations Act or LANDs Act, requires Congress to explicitly approve any Federal land withdrawals over 5,000 acres. It excludes temporary land orders lasting five years or less and withdrawals necessary for national security as determined by the President. The legislation places a new size limit of 640 acres on future national monuments and mandates that new monuments must be at least 50 miles away from another national monument. It creates an emergency designation exception that lasts for one year and cannot be made permanent. Additionally, the bill prohibits placing non-federally owned property within a national monument's boundaries without the owner's written consent and restricts water rights associated with designations to state laws.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Protection of Private Property Rights: Under Section 3, amending Section 320301(g) of title 54, United States Code, non-federally owned property cannot be placed within the exterior boundaries of a national monument without the express written consent of the property owners. This ensures private landowners retain control over their property.
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State Control Over Water Rights: Under Section 3, amending Section 320301(i) of title 54, United States Code, water rights associated with a national monument designation cannot be reserved expressly or implicitly, and can only be acquired in accordance with the laws of the State where the water rights are based. This respects state authority over water resources.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Restrictions on Protecting Certain Natural Features: Under Section 3, amending Section 320301(j) of title 54, United States Code, the definition of an object or objects of antiquity excludes natural geographic features, objects not made by humans (except fossils and human remains), landscapes, ecosystems, and values. This limits the ability to protect broader natural areas as national monuments.
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Size Limits on National Monuments: Under Section 3, amending Section 320301(e) of title 54, United States Code, future national monuments generally cannot be larger than 640 acres and must be at least 50 miles away from the closest exterior boundary of another national monument. This restricts the scale of future monument protections.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
No significant interests or groups are affected by this bill.
- 10/9/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/1/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
- 6 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
Lauren BoebertRepublican · Colorado
Nicholas BegichRepublican · Alaska
Elijah CraneRepublican · Arizona
Harriet HagemanRepublican · Wyoming
Mike KennedyRepublican · Utah
Addison McDowellRepublican · North Carolina
Pete StauberRepublican · Minnesota