[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4196 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4196

 To authorize the conveyance of certain environmentally sensitive land 
  at former Fort Sheridan, Illinois, for the purpose of ensuring the 
                   permanent protection of the lands.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 22, 2004

   Mr. Kirk introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the conveyance of certain environmentally sensitive land 
  at former Fort Sheridan, Illinois, for the purpose of ensuring the 
                   permanent protection of the lands.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. LAND CONVEYANCE, NAVY PROPERTY, FORMER FORT SHERIDAN, 
              ILLINOIS.

    (a) Conveyance Authorized.--The Secretary of the Navy may convey, 
without consideration, to the State of Illinois, a political 
subdivision of the State, or a nonprofit land conservation organization 
(in this section collectively referred to as the ``grantee''), all 
right, title, and interest of the United States in and to certain 
environmentally sensitive land at the former Fort Sheridan, Illinois, 
consisting of mostly bluffs and ravines, for the purpose of ensuring 
the permanent protection of the lands.
    (b) Reversionary Interest.--If the Secretary determines at any time 
that the real property conveyed under subsection (a) is not being used 
or maintained in accordance with the purpose of the conveyance 
specified in such subsection, all right, title, and interest in and to 
all or any portion of the property shall revert, at the option of the 
Secretary, to the United States, and the United States shall have the 
right of immediate entry onto the property. Any determination of the 
Secretary under this subsection shall be made on the record after an 
opportunity for a hearing.
    (c) Reconveyance Authorized.--The Secretary may permit the grantee 
to convey the real property conveyed under subsection (a) to another 
eligible entity described in such subsection, subject to the same 
covenants and terms and conditions as provided in the deed from the 
United States.
    (d) Payment of Costs of Conveyance.--(1) The Secretary shall 
require the grantee to cover costs to be incurred by the Secretary, or 
to reimburse the Secretary for costs incurred by the Secretary, to 
carry out the conveyance under subsection (a), including survey costs, 
costs related to environmental documentation, and other administrative 
costs related to the conveyance. If amounts are collected from the 
grantee in advance of the Secretary incurring the actual costs, and the 
amount collected exceeds the costs actually incurred by the Secretary 
to carry out the conveyance, the Secretary shall refund the excess 
amount to the grantee.
    (2) Amounts received as reimbursement under paragraph (1) shall be 
credited to the fund or account that was used to cover the costs 
incurred by the Secretary in carrying out the conveyance. Amounts so 
credited shall be merged with amounts in such fund or account, and 
shall be available for the same purposes, and subject to the same 
conditions and limitations, as amounts in such fund or account.
    (e) Exemption From Federal Screening.--The conveyance authorized by 
subsection (a) is exempt from the requirement to screen the property 
for other Federal use pursuant to sections 2693 and 2696 of title 10, 
United States Code.
    (f) Description of Property.--The exact acreage and legal 
description of the real property to be conveyed under subsection (a) 
shall be determined by a survey satisfactory to the Secretary.
    (g) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The Secretary may require 
such additional terms and conditions in connection with the conveyance 
under subsection (a) as the Secretary considers appropriate to protect 
the interests of the United States.
    (h) Use of Alternate Conveyance Authority.--In lieu of using the 
authority provided by this section to convey the real property 
described in subsection (a), the Secretary may elect to include the 
property in a conveyance authorized by section 2878 of title 10, United 
States Code, subject to such terms, reservations, restrictions, and 
conditions as may be necessary to ensure the permanent protection of 
the property, if the Secretary determines that a conveyance under such 
section is advantageous to the interests of the United States.
                                 <all>