A bill to amend the Act of June 22, 1948.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill amends a land-appraisal provision in the Thye-Blatnik Act, which governs certain lands associated with the Superior National Forest and related Minnesota land transactions. By replacing fair appraised value language with highest-and-best-use valuation language, it can change how compensation or valuation is calculated for affected property interests.
Who Benefits and How
Affected private landowners benefit if highest-and-best-use valuation produces a higher appraisal than the prior fair-value wording. Local governments in affected Minnesota counties benefit if land transactions reflect development or market value more fully. Real estate appraisers benefit from clearer statutory direction about the valuation standard. Property-rights advocates benefit from a valuation rule that is more favorable to owners in covered transactions.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal land managers must apply the revised appraisal standard. The Forest Service and Interior land offices may face higher acquisition, exchange, or compensation costs. Federal taxpayers bear any increased valuation cost under the covered statute. Conservation buyers or federal land programs may face more expensive covered transactions.
Key Provisions
- Amends the Act of June 22, 1948, commonly known as the Thye-Blatnik Act.
- Replaces fair appraised value language with highest-and-best-use valuation language.
- Affects valuation of covered land interests rather than creating a new land program.
- Could increase compensation where highest-and-best-use exceeds current fair-value treatment.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Changes appraisal language under the Thye-Blatnik Act so affected land valuation uses highest-and-best-use value rather than only fair appraised value.
Key Policy Areas
Public Lands, Real Estate
Primary Purpose
Changes appraisal language under the Thye-Blatnik Act so affected land valuation uses highest-and-best-use value rather than only fair appraised value.
Policy Domains
Bill provisions
Identified Gains
- Affected private landowners
- Minnesota local governments
- Real estate appraisers
- Property-rights advocates
Identified Costs
- Federal land managers
- Forest Service land offices
- Federal taxpayers
- Federal land programs
Sponsors
Tina Smith
D-MN | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
ReportedReported by Mr. Boozman, without amendment
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. …
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Reported by Senator Boozman …
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Ordered to be reported …
Ms. Smith (for herself and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, …
Introduced in Senate
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Affected private landowners, Real estate appraisers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "act"
- → Thye-Blatnik Act
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology