[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 113 (Thursday, July 29, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H6444-H6445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 0040
FRANCIS MARION NATIONAL FOREST LAND CONVEYANCE
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 5414) to provide for the conveyance of a small
parcel of National Forest System land in the Francis Marion National
Forest in South Carolina, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5414
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. LAND CONVEYANCE, FRANCIS MARION NATIONAL FOREST,
SOUTH CAROLINA.
(a) Conveyance Required.--Upon the tender of consideration
from the First Baptist Church of Bonneau, 108 West Church
Street, Bonneau, South Carolina (in this section referred to
as the ``Bonneau Baptist Church''), the Secretary of
Agriculture shall sell and quitclaim to Bonneau Baptist
Church all right, title, and interest of the United States in
and to a parcel of National Forest System land in the Francis
Marion National Forest consisting of up to approximately 3
acres, as generally depicted on a map titled, ``First Baptist
Church of Bonneau Cemetery Tract'' and dated May 6, 2010. The
conveyance shall be subject to valid existing rights and the
other provisions of this section.
(b) Consideration.--
(1) Cash consideration.--As consideration for the
conveyance under subsection (a), Bonneau Baptist Church shall
pay to the Secretary cash consideration in an amount equal to
the market value of the land.
(2) Market value.--The market value of the land conveyed
under subsection (a) shall be determined by an appraisal
approved by the Secretary based on appraisal instructions
prescribed by the Secretary for a separate lot unconnected
with a larger parcel, unencumbered by any permit or
restrictive covenant (other than the restriction required by
subsection (f)), and otherwise in conformity with the Uniform
Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions.
(3) Deposit and use of proceeds.--The consideration
received by the Secretary under this subsection shall be
deposited into the account in the Treasury established by
Public Law 90-171 (commonly known as the Sisk Act; 16 U.S.C.
484a). The monies so deposited shall be available to the
Secretary, until expended and without further appropriation,
for the acquisition of lands and interests in land in the
Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina.
(c) Survey.--The land to be conveyed under subsection (a)
shall be surveyed, and such survey and resulting land
description shall be subject to approval by the Secretary.
(d) Costs.--The Secretary shall require the Bonneau Baptist
Church to pay all reasonable costs associated with the
conveyance under subsection (a), including--
(1) appraisal;
(2) survey;
(3) closing costs, including deed recordation; and
(4) any administrative and environmental analyses required
by law or regulation.
(e) Treatment of Existing Special Use Authorization.--Upon
completion of the conveyance under subsection (a), the
Special Use Authorization provided to Bonneau Baptist Church
for use of the conveyed lands shall be deemed to be
terminated.
(f) Restriction on Use of Conveyed Land.--The deed of
conveyance for the land conveyed under subsection (a) shall
restrict the use of the conveyed land to cemetery purposes.
Structures may not be erected on the conveyed land, other
than for monumentation or cemetery maintenance facilities.
(g) Compliance With Federal Laws and Regulations.--The
conveyance of the land under subsection (a) is subject to
compliance with existing laws and regulations.
(h) 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.
SEC. 2. STATUTORY PAY-AS-YOU-GO LANGUAGE.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go-Act of 2010, shall
be determined by reference to the latest statement titled
``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act,
submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the
Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such
statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Scott) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
General Leave
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Georgia?
There was no objection.
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
H.R. 5414 provides for the conveyance of a small parcel of National
Forest System land in the Francis Marion National Forest in South
Carolina, and for other purposes.
H.R. 5414 authorizes the sale of land in the Francis Marion National
Forest. The proceeds of the sale will be placed in the general account
for the purchase of other suitable land within the Francis Marion
National Forest when it becomes available. This legislation is
sponsored by Representative Brown of South Carolina, and supported by
the Forest Service.
Since 1946, the Bonneau Baptist Church has operated 3 acres of the
Francis Marion National Forest under a special use permit. The church
has requested to expand the permit area and to purchase the land at
fair market value to accommodate the growing needs of the cemetery they
maintain on this property.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time
as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5414. This simple
legislation allows the Forest Service to sell a 3-acre parcel of land
in the Francis Marion National Forest to the Bonneau Baptist Church in
Bonneau, South Carolina. The church needs this land to expand their
cemetery, which is within
[[Page H6445]]
the boundary of the National Forest, and cannot expand without this
sale.
The church has agreed to pay for the costs of the transaction. The
Forest Service is going to use the funds generated by the sale of this
tract to purchase other land for the forest in the future. The
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown) has worked with the Forest
Service, the church, and the community to ensure that this transaction
is acceptable to everyone concerned. And most importantly, Mr. Speaker,
this bill will not result in any expense to the taxpayers.
I hope and urge that my colleagues will join me in support of this
legislation.
Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on a
noncontroversial piece of legislation that I introduced that would
assist many of my constituents in South Carolina's First Congressional
District.
My legislation would simply facilitate the conveyance of no more than
three acres of land from the Francis Marion National Forest in South
Carolina.
The land would be acquired by constituents and families associated
with the First Baptist Church in Bonneau, South Carolina. This land is
needed in order to facilitate a one-time expansion of their cemetery
which has currently reached its capacity.
This legislation would eventually allow these families to be buried
together alongside other family members. It would also provide the
forest service with desperately needed funds that they would be able to
put to good use during these very tough budgetary times.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this noncontroversial
piece of legislation.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 5414, 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. SCOTT 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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