[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 134 (Thursday, September 18, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H7890]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

 By Mr. GOSAR: 
H.R. 5598. Congress has the power to enact this 
legislationpursuant to the following: Article IV, Section 3, 
Clause 2.


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       ``The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all 
     needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or 
     other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in 
     this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any 
     Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.''
       Currently, the federal government owns approximately 29 
     percent of all land in the United States. The U.S. 
     Constitution specifically addresses the relationship of the 
     federal government to these lands. Article IV, Section 3, 
     Clause 2--the Property Clause--gives Congress full authority 
     over federal property including the National Park System. The 
     U.S. Supreme Court has described Congress's power to 
     legislate under this Clause as ``without limitation.'' This 
     bill falls squarely within the express Constitutional power 
     set forth in the Property Clause.