GovTrack’s Bill Summary
We don’t have a summary available yet.
H.R. 3954 (111th): Florida National Forest Land Adjustment Act of 2010
- Introduced:
- Oct 28, 2009 (111th Congress, 2009–2010)
- Sponsor:
- Rep. Allen Boyd Jr. [D-FL2]
- Status:
- Died (Passed House)
The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.
Library of Congress Summary
The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.
3/17/2010.
Section
2
-
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to release, convey, and quitclaim to the state of Florida, without monetary consideration, all interest of the United States in and to those lands within or adjacent to the Blackwater River and Withlacoochee State Forests that were conveyed to the state under the authority of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act or under any other law authorizing conveyance subject to restrictions or reversionary interests retained by the United States. Requires the state to cover or reimburse the Secretary for reasonable costs incurred to make the conveyances, including title searches, surveys, deed preparaton, attorneys' fees, and similar expenses.
Bars the Secretary from seeking reimbursement for administrative overhead costs.
Requires the state to agree:
(1) that all net proceeds from any sale, exchange, or other disposition of the real property subject to deed restrictions be used by the state for the acquisition of lands or interests within or adjacent to units of Florida's forest and park systems;
(2) to address and resolve boundary encroachments for the affected state forests; and
(3) to indemnify and hold the United States harmless with regard to any boundary disputes related to any released parcel.
Section
3
-
Directs the Secretary, if the state offers to convey to the United States those state lands designated for interchange on the two maps entitled "State of Florida--U.S. Forest Service Interchange--January, 2009" and title to such lands is otherwise acceptable, to convey and quitclaim to the state those National Forest System lands in the Ocala and Apalachicola National Forests in Florida designated for interchange on the maps.
Subjects any land interchange under this Act to such reservations and rights-of-way as may be mutually acceptable to the Secretary and the authorized officer of the state.
Authorizes the Secretary and the authorized officer of the state, in the event that any of the designated lands are found to be unacceptable for interchange because of title deficiencies, survey problems, the existence of hazardous materials, or for any other reason, to substitute or modify the lands to be interchanged insofar as it is mutually agreed that such lands are of comparable quality and approximately equal value.
Section
4
-
Authorizes the Secretary to convey by sale or exchange tract W-1979 within Leon County, Florida. Requires the proceeds derived from any sale of such tract to be used only to:
(1) acquire lands and interests for inclusion in the Apalachicola National Forest; and
(2) cover the disposal costs incurred to carry out the sale of the tract.
Authorizes the Secretary, with respect to tracts A-943, A-944, and C-2210, which are authorized for sale under the Florida National Forest Land Management Act of 2003, and being lands having permanent improvements and infrastructure, to use the net proceeds derived from any sales of such tracts for the acquisition, construction, or maintenance of administrative improvements for units of the National Forest System in Florida.
Section
5
-
Declares that, for purposes of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, the budgetary effects of this Act shall be determined by reference to the latest statement entitled "Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation" for this Act, provided that such statement has been submitted for printing in the Congressional Record prior to the vote on passage of this Act.
House Republican Conference Summary
The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.
This summary can be found at http://www.gop.gov/bill/111/1/hr3954.
Background
According to the legislation's findings, certain lands in Florida were conveyed by the U.S. to the State under the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act and now are part of the Blackwater River and Withlacoochee State Forests. The lands were conveyed to the State subject to deed restrictions that the lands could be only used for public purposes. The deed restrictions impede the ability of the State to remedy boundary and encroachment problems involving the lands. The release of the deed restrictions by the Secretary of Agriculture will further the purposes for which the lands are being managed and will alleviate future federal responsibilities with respect to the lands.
Additionally, there are intermingled federal and State lands within units of the National Forest System in Florida that are of comparable quantity and quality and of approximately equal value. Interchanging these lands would be in the public interest by facilitating more efficient public land management.
Summary
H.R. 3954 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to release, convey, and quitclaim to the State of Florida, without monetary consideration, all interest of the U.S. in and to those lands within or adjacent to the Blackwater River and Withlacoochee State Forests that were conveyed to the State under the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act or under any other law. The bill would require the State to cover or reimburse the Secretary for reasonable costs incurred to make the conveyances and bars the Secretary from seeking reimbursement for administrative overhead costs.
H.R. 3954 would require the State to agree that all net proceeds from any sale, exchange, or other disposition of the real property subject to deed restrictions be used by the State for the acquisition of lands or interests within or adjacent to units of Florida's forest and park systems; to address and resolve boundary encroachments for the affected State forests; and to indemnify and hold the U.S. harmless with regard to any boundary disputes related to any released parcel.
The bill also provides for an interchange of certain State lands and National Forest System lands in the Ocala and Apalachicola National Forests in Florida.
Finally, the bill would authorize the Secretary to convey by sale or exchange tract W-1979 within Leon County, Florida.
Cost
The Congressional Budget Office has not yet produced a cost estimate for H.R. 3954.
House Democratic Caucus Summary
The House Democratic Caucus does not provide summaries of bills.
So, yes, we display the House Republican Conference’s summaries when available even if we do not have a Democratic summary available. That’s because we feel it is better to give you as much information as possible, even if we cannot provide every viewpoint.
We’ll be looking for a source of summaries from the other side in the meanwhile.
The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:
Slip Laws
Slip laws refer to enacted bills and joint resolutions in their original form as enacted by Congress, that is, before other laws amend them. Slip laws are cited as “Public Law XXX-YYY”, where XXX is the number of the Congress in which the bill or resolution was introduced.
- Public Law 108-152
- Public Law 111-39:
H.R. 1777 (111th): To make technical corrections to the Higher Education Act of 1965, and for other purposes.
United States Code
The United States Code is the compilation of permanent laws enacted by Congress. Temporary and other non-permanent laws do not appear in the United States Code. (About half of the United States Code is the law itself, called positive law. The other half is merely a compilation of the laws but has no legal significance.)
- Title 7: AGRICULTURE
- Chapter 33: FARM TENANCY
- Subchapter III: LAND CONSERVATION AND LAND UTILIZATION
- Section 1011: Powers of Secretary of Agriculture
Statutes at Large
The United States Statutes at Large is the compilation of all laws enacted by Congress.
- 117 Stat. 1919
- 124 Stat. 8