[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6628 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6628

 To provide for the application of the Recreation and Public Purposes 
   Act to the Connell Lake area, so the Ketchikan Gateway Borough in 
Alaska may obtain that land under the Act's basic terms and conditions.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 29, 2008

 Mr. Young of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the application of the Recreation and Public Purposes 
   Act to the Connell Lake area, so the Ketchikan Gateway Borough in 
Alaska may obtain that land under the Act's basic terms and conditions.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Connell Lake Watershed Protection 
and Recreation Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The U.S. Forest Service currently owns the area 
        surrounding Connell Lake, located within the boundaries of the 
        Borough. The lake serves as a major water source for the 
        Ketchikan Gateway Borough and as a local recreation site.
            (2) The Borough has a great interest in the management of 
        the Connell Lake area and desires to participate directly in 
        the planning and management of the area.
            (3) The Borough would be eligible to obtain this land from 
        the Federal Government under the Recreation and Public Purposes 
        Act if the land was not located within a national forest.
            (4) Congress has passed legislation in similar 
        circumstances to permit local governments to obtain land from a 
        national forest under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act.
            (5) The management plan for Connell Lake under the 
        Borough's comprehensive plan is consistent with the newly 
        issued forest management plan for the area and with the terms 
        and conditions of the Recreation and Public Purposes Act.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to provide for the 
application of the Recreation and Public Purposes Act to the Connell 
Lake area so the Borough may obtain that land under the Act's basic 
terms and conditions.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act:
            (1) Borough.--The term ``Borough'' means the Ketchikan 
        Gateway Borough located in the State of Alaska.
            (2) Recreation and public purposes act.--The term 
        ``Recreation and Public Purposes Act'' means the Act titled 
        ``An Act to authorize acquisition or use of public lands by 
        States, counties, or municipalities for recreational 
        purposes.'', approved June 14, 1926 (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.).

SEC. 4. CONVEYANCE.

    (a) Conveyance.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in 
accordance with this Act and the Recreation and Public Purposes Act, 
and subject to valid existing rights, the Secretary of Agriculture and 
the Secretary of the Interior, as appropriate, shall convey to the 
Borough the Federal lands and interests in lands within the 
approximately 880 acres and generally depicted on the map titled 
``Connell Lake Watershed--Aliquot Part Description''. Such map shall be 
on file and available for inspection in the offices of the Chief of the 
U.S. Forest Service and the Forest Supervisor located in Ketchikan, 
Alaska.
    (b) Management.--Once conveyed, the Connell Lake Conveyance Area 
shall be managed in accordance with the terms of the Recreation and 
Public Purposes Act, including the reverter provisions in that Act.
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