Congresswoman Lee’s Bipartisan Bill to Speed Up Housing, Infrastructure, and Conservation Projects Passes Out of Senate Committee

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Susie Lee’s (NV-03) bipartisan Accelerating Appraisals and Conservation Efforts (AACE) Act passed the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. It previously passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support and now takes one step closer to being signed into law. It is being led in the Senate by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). The legislation has also been endorsed by Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo. 

The legislation — co-led in the House by Republican Dave Joyce (OH-14) and supported by stakeholders ranging from the Nevada Conservation League to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — will ensure that Department of the Interior (DOI) public land transactions are completed effectively and efficiently by increasing access to qualified and cost-competitive appraisers.

DOI oversees hundreds of millions of acres of public lands nationwide, but before it can complete any land transactions, it must first guarantee that these transactions are done at fair market value. With growing demands, the agency has had to rely increasingly on private appraisers who can only work in the specific states where they are credentialed — unlike full-time federal appraisers, who have been able to work quickly and easily across state lines for decades. This creates bottlenecks that undermine conservation, economic, housing, and infrastructure projects on public lands.  

The AACE Act will tackle federal appraisal bottlenecks by making more appraisers available to DOI. The bill will cut government red tape and maximize DOI's efficiency without spending a single additional dollar of taxpayers' money. It will also require DOI to continue to prioritize working with local appraisers, unlocking the enhanced flexibility provided by the bill only when no qualified and cost-competitive local appraisers are available to perform needed services.  

“We can’t let red tape get in the way of key land transactions that will help cut housing costs, build critical infrastructure, and support conservation,” said Congresswoman Lee. “The AACE Act cuts through red tape by giving the Department of the Interior a much-needed tool to more quickly get land deals done at no additional cost to the American taxpayer. I’m proud that my bipartisan bill is one step closer to being signed into law.”

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