[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 107 (Friday, July 10, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H5089]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

           By Mr. GOSAR:
        H.R. 3027.
        Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2 (the Property Clause). 
     Under this clause, Congress has the power to dispose of and 
     make all needful rules and regulations respecting the 
     territory or other property belonging to the United States. 
     By virtue of this enumerated power, Congress has governing 
     authority over the lands, terroritories, or other property of 
     the United States- and with this authority Congress is vested 
     with the power to all owners in fee, the ability to sell, 
     lease, dispose, exchange, convey, or simply preserve land. 
     The Supreme Court has described this enumerated grant as one 
     ``without limitation'' Kleppe v New Mexico, 426 U.S. 529, 
     542-543 (1976) (``And while the furthest reaches of the power 
     granted by the Property Clause have not been definitely 
     resolved, we have repeatedly observed that the power over the 
     public land thus entrusted to Congress is without 
     limitation.'')
       Historically, the the federal government transferred 
     ownership of federal property to either private ownership or 
     the states in order to pay off large Revolutionary War debts 
     and to assist with the development of infrastructure. The 
     transfers to private and state ownership by this legislation 
     are constituional and necessary to resolve a long-term 
     boundary discrepancy and to ensure private property owners 
     are able to utilize and control their private property