[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 19 (Tuesday, February 2, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S513]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 3226. Mr. THUNE submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 2953 proposed by Ms. Murkowski to the bill S. 2012, to
provide for the modernization of the energy policy of the United
States, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table;
as follows:
At the end of subtitle E of title IV, add the following:
SEC. 44__. BLACK HILLS NATIONAL CEMETERY BOUNDARY
MODIFICATION.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Cemetery.--The term ``Cemetery'' means the Black Hills
National Cemetery in Sturgis, South Dakota.
(2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means the
approximately 200 acres of Bureau of Land Management land
adjacent to the Cemetery, generally depicted as ``Proposed
National Cemetery Expansion'' on the map entitled ``Proposed
Expansion of Black Hills National Cemetery-South Dakota'' and
dated September 28, 2015.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(b) Transfer and Withdrawal of Bureau of Land Management
Land for Cemetery Use.--
(1) Transfer of administrative jurisdiction.--
(A) In general.--Subject to valid existing rights,
administrative jurisdiction over the Federal land is
transferred from the Secretary to the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs for use as a national cemetery in accordance with
chapter 24 of title 38, United States Code.
(B) Legal descriptions.--
(i) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall publish in the
Federal Register a notice containing a legal description of
the Federal land.
(ii) Effect.--A legal description published under clause
(i) shall have the same force and effect as if included in
this section, except that the Secretary may correct any
clerical and typographical errors in the legal description.
(iii) Availability.--Copies of the legal description
published under clause (i) shall be available for public
inspection in the appropriate offices of--
(I) the Bureau of Land Management; and
(II) the National Cemetery Administration.
(iv) Costs.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
reimburse the Secretary for the costs incurred by the
Secretary in carrying out this subparagraph, including the
costs of any surveys and other reasonable costs.
(2) Withdrawal.--Subject to valid existing rights, for any
period during which the Federal land is under the
administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, the Federal land--
(A) is withdrawn from all forms of appropriation under the
public land laws, including the mining laws, the mineral
leasing laws, and the geothermal leasing laws; and
(B) shall be treated as property as defined under section
102(9) of title 40, United States Code.
(3) Boundary modification.--The boundary of the Cemetery is
modified to include the Federal land.
(4) Modification of public land order.--Public Land Order
2112, dated June 6, 1960 (25 Fed. Reg. 5243), is modified to
exclude the Federal land.
(c) Subsequent Transfer of Administrative Jurisdiction.--
(1) Notice.--On a determination by the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs that all or a portion of the Federal land is
not being used for purposes of the Cemetery, the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall notify the Secretary of the
determination.
(2) Transfer of administrative jurisdiction.--Subject to
paragraphs (3) and (4), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall transfer to the Secretary administrative jurisdiction
over the Federal land subject to a notice under paragraph
(1).
(3) Decontaminaton.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall be responsible for the costs of any decontamination of
the Federal land subject to a notice under paragraph (1) that
the Secretary determines to be necessary for the Federal land
to be restored to public land status.
(4) Restoration to public land status.--The Federal land
subject to a notice under paragraph (1) shall only be
restored to public land status on--
(A) acceptance by the Secretary of the Federal land subject
to the notice; and
(B) a determination by the Secretary that the Federal land
subject to the notice is suitable for--
(i) restoration to public land status; and
(ii) the operation of 1 or more of the public land laws
with respect to the Federal land.
(5) Order.--If the Secretary accepts the Federal land under
paragraph (4)(A) and makes a determination of suitability
under paragraph (4)(B), the Secretary may--
(A) open the accepted Federal land to operation of 1 or
more of the public land laws; and
(B) issue an order to carry out the opening authorized
under subparagraph (A).
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