[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 105 (Tuesday, July 14, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H8052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     PROVIDING FOR SALE OF FEDERAL INTEREST IN SALT LAKE CITY LAND

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1442) to provide for the sale of the Federal Government's 
reversionary interest in approximately 60 acres of land in Salt Lake 
City, Utah, originally conveyed to the Mount Olivet Cemetery 
Association under the Act of January 23, 1909, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1442

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

     SECTION 1. CONVEYANCE OF FEDERAL REVERSIONARY INTEREST, MT. 
                   OLIVET CEMETERY, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

       (a) Conveyance Required.--If, within one year after the 
     completion of the appraisal required by subsection (c), the 
     Mount Olivet Cemetery Association of Salt Lake City, Utah (in 
     this section referred to as the ``Association''), submits to 
     the Secretary of the Interior an offer to acquire the Federal 
     reversionary interest in all of the approximately 60 acres of 
     land in Salt Lake City, Utah, conveyed to the Association 
     under the Act of January 23, 1909 (chapter 37, 35 Stat. 589), 
     the Secretary shall convey to the Association such 
     reversionary interest in the lands covered by the offer. The 
     Secretary shall complete the conveyance not later than 30 
     days after the date of the offer.
       (b) Survey.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall complete a survey 
     of the lands described in subsection (a) to determine the 
     precise boundaries and acreage of the lands subject to the 
     Federal reversionary interest.
       (c) Appraisal.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall complete an 
     appraisal of the Federal reversionary interest in the lands 
     identified by the survey in subsection (b). The appraisal 
     shall be completed in accordance with the ``Uniform Appraisal 
     Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions'' and the ``Uniform 
     Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice''.
       (d) Consideration.--As consideration for the conveyance of 
     the Federal reversionary interest under subsection (a), the 
     Association shall pay to the Secretary an amount equal to the 
     appraised value of the Federal interest, as determined under 
     subsection (c). The consideration shall be paid not later 
     than 30 days after the date the conveyance is made.
       (e) Costs of Conveyance.--As a condition of the conveyance 
     under subsection (a), all costs associated with the 
     conveyance under subsection (a), including the cost of the 
     survey required by subsection (b) and the appraisal required 
     by subsection (c), shall be paid by the Association.
       (f) Deposit and Use of Proceeds.--The Secretary shall 
     deposit the proceeds from the conveyance under subsection (a) 
     in the Federal Land Disposal Account established by section 
     206 of the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (43 
     U.S.C. 2305). The proceeds so deposited shall be available to 
     the Secretary for expenditure in accordance with subsection 
     (c) of such section.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Guam (Ms. Bordallo) and the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Guam.


                             General Leave

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Guam?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. BORDALLO. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring to the House for its consideration 
this legislation sponsored by the gentleman from Utah, Representative 
Jim Matheson.
  In 1909, Congress authorized the transfer of 60 acres of Federal land 
in Salt Lake City, Utah, to the Mount Olivet Cemetery Association for 
use as a public cemetery. The legislation contained a reversionary 
clause to the Federal Government if the land were not used for the 
purpose of a cemetery.
  Today, in order to raise revenue to operate the cemetery, the Mount 
Olivet Cemetery Association hopes to sell 13 undeveloped acres of this 
parcel to an adjacent school, and it has requested that the Federal 
Government relinquish its reversionary interest.
  This noncontroversial bill, which was favorably reported out of the 
Natural Resources Committee by unanimous consent, authorizes the 
conveyance of the reversionary interest to the association in exchange 
for appropriate consideration based upon a survey and appraisal of the 
property.
  Mr. Speaker, Congressman Matheson has worked diligently on behalf of 
this legislation. The administration supports the bill, and I ask my 
colleagues to support its passage as well.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, 100 years ago, a parcel of Federal land in Salt Lake 
City was conveyed to the Mount Olivet Cemetery Association. H.R. 1442 
directs the Secretary to accept an offer from the association to 
purchase certain reversionary interests in 60 of those acres. The bill 
requires the sale to be accomplished at no cost to the taxpayer and for 
the appraised value of the rights.
  I support the bill because it reduces, although only by 60 acres, 
excessive Federal land holdings at a time when the Department of 
Interior is facing a multibillion-dollar maintenance backlog for the 
lands it already owns.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. 
Matheson) such time as he may consume.
  Mr. MATHESON. Well, first, I thank my colleague from Guam for 
recognizing me.
  I am pleased to rise in support of this bill. You have heard the 
description of the bill, and if I could, I will just briefly point out 
what the repercussions are if we don't move this legislation.
  This cemetery is a nonprofit entity. It has been around for about 100 
years. It is suffering some financial distress in terms of its 
endowment. It has figured and has looked at choices for how it could 
maintain itself and create greater financial viability. The notion of 
selling off a piece of the land that's undeveloped will ensure the 
integrity of the cemetery for the future. If, in fact, this cemetery 
were to go bankrupt and if this nonprofit couldn't continue to maintain 
it, the land would revert back to the Federal Government. I do not 
think the Bureau of Land Management wants to be in the business of 
owning and operating a cemetery in Salt Lake City, Utah.
  So here we have a situation that is based on legislation that 
occurred 100 years ago, and today, we're making a substantive solution 
to a problem that has developed since, and there is no harm to the 
taxpayer. This is a commonsense bill, but I've got to tell you 
something: while it sounds simple, it wasn't simple, and I really want 
to commend the Resources Committee staff for being so helpful in 
working through this issue to find the right way to get it done. It may 
have passed the committee by unanimous consent, but that does not mean 
it did not take a lot of work and effort to make the right decision. So 
I want to thank the committee staff so much. I want to thank Chairman 
Rahall and Subcommittee Chairman Grijalva.
  I encourage the passage of this bill.
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, 
and would inquire of the minority whether they have any additional 
speakers.
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support this bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1442, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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