[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 187 (Tuesday, December 17, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H7285-H7286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REVERSIONARY INTEREST CONVEYANCE ACT
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 8946) to convey the reversionary interest of the United
States in certain land in Sacramento, California.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 8946
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Reversionary Interest
Conveyance Act''.
SEC. 2. CONVEYANCE OF UNITED STATES INTEREST IN CERTAIN LAND.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means the
approximately 8.43 acres of land under the administrative
jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management in Sacramento,
California, as generally depicted as ``Proposed Easements to
be Released'' on the map titled ``Lands Proposed for Release
from Any and All Reversionary Interests of the United States,
including interests under the Act of July 1, 1862 (12 Stat.
489)'', dated November 7, 2022.
(2) Buyer.--(A) The term ``buyer'' means the owner of
record of any of the parcels included in the covered land at
the time of the requested conveyance.
(B) Buyer may only request and purchase the covered land's
reversionary interest for the parcels of which the owner is
the owner of record at the time of request.
(3) Reversionary interest.--The term ``reversionary
interest'' means all reversionary interests of the United
States in the covered land.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land
Management.
(b) Conveyance.--Not later than two years after the
Secretary receives a request from the buyer, the Secretary
shall offer to the buyer the applicable reversionary interest
subject to the requirements in subsection (c), and shall
convey the lands to buyer upon payment of the appraised
value.
(c) Requirements.--Any conveyance under this section--
(1) shall be subject to valid existing rights; and
(2) shall be for not less than fair market value.
(d) Payment of Fair Market Value.--The Secretary shall
determine the fair market value of the applicable
reversionary interest--
(1) in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); and
(2) based on an appraisal that is conducted in accordance
with--
(A) the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land
Acquisitions; and
(B) the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal
Practice.
(e) Costs.--In addition to the fair market value determined
under subsection (d), the buyer shall pay all costs related
to the applicable conveyance of the reversionary inter est,
including all surveys, appraisals, and other administrative
costs.
(f) Proceeds From the Sale of Land.--The proceeds from the
sale of the applicable reversionary interest shall be--
(1) deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account
established by section 206(a) of the Federal Land Transaction
Facilitation Act (43 U.S.C. 2305(a)); and
(2) used in accordance with that Act.
SEC. 3. STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this Act shall--
(1) diminish the right-of-way associated with the covered
land in section 2 to a width of less than 50 feet on each
side of the center of the main track or tracks established
and maintained by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company
on the date of the enactment of this Act; or
(2) validate or confirm any right or title to, or interest
in the land referred to in section 2 arising out of adverse
possession, prescription, or abandonment, and not confirmed
by conveyance made by the Southern Pacific Transportation
Company before the date of the enactment of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentleman from California (Mr.
Huffman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.
General Leave
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on H.R. 8956, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Representative Matsui's bill,
H.R. 8956, the Revisionary Interest Conveyance Act.
This bill will resolve a stubborn property law issue that has long
afflicted a small parcel of land in California.
The private owners of an 8-acre property in Sacramento recently
discovered a revisionary interest on their land, which was originally
conveyed by a railroad company. The interest, which dates back to the
days of the transcontinental railroad, technically requires the land to
revert to the United States since it is no longer used for railroad
purposes. With their land encumbered, the owners of this property are
limited in their ability to develop or sell the land.
The Bureau of Land Management, which would receive the property
through the reversion, does not want to manage the land in question.
Since the agency can't extinguish the revisionary interest
unilaterally, the BLM has encouraged Congress to pursue a legislative
solution.
H.R. 8946 would resolve this conflict by requiring the Bureau of Land
Management to convey the reversionary interest to the private
landowners for fair market value. In so doing, this bill will free up
the land for economic development and prevent further Federal
interference.
That is a good governance bill that supports a local community,
encourages economic development, and reduces the burden on the Federal
Government. I applaud Representative Matsui for advancing this solution
on behalf of her constituents.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of the Reversionary Interest Conveyance Act,
introduced by my colleague from the Sacramento area in California,
Representative Matsui.
Her bill would allow for the conveyance of certain Federal Government
claims associated with approximately 8.43 acres of land administered by
the Bureau of Land Management in Sacramento.
It is currently encumbered by what is known as a reversionary
interest, in this case dating back to the 19th century.
The original conveyance of the land from the Federal Government
stipulated that it must be used for specific stated purposes or
ownership would revert back to the United States.
Lands with reversionary interests like these have what is called a
clouded title, which limits allowable uses and development.
In this case, the reversionary interests originate from the initial
conveyance that provided public land for railroad purposes in the 19th
century, but the land changed hands over the years, eventually without
knowledge of this requirement.
The bill aims to clear up the land ownership issue by resolving the
Federal Government's ownership claims on these parcels. Under the sale
authorized by the bill, landowners would be given the opportunity to
purchase the reversionary interests from the government so that they
can pursue development or future conveyances of the land.
Importantly, this bill has standard conveyance language, including a
requirement to sell the interest at fair market value, and the
authorized conveyance is supported by the Department of the Interior.
This is a win-win for the government and the community in Sacramento.
Mr.
[[Page H7286]]
Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am
prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), the author of this bill.
Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R.
8946, the Reversionary Interest Conveyance Act.
This bill provides a technical correction that will help unlock the
innovative potential of Sacramento. It provides the BLM with the clear
authority to convey 8\1/2\ acres of former railroad right-of-way in
Sacramento.
This will allow the city of Sacramento, Sacramento State University,
and their partners to continue moving forward on the Sacramento Center
for Innovation, a research park that will allow Sacramento to retain
and grow the level of talent the region needs to attract investment and
business.
We support our innovators, our educators, and our businesses because
we know that these economic drivers don't just support job and
community growth today, they sustain them for generations. Because of
this, I really support this bill. It is something that is very, very
needed.
I thank the chair and ranking member for their support of this bill.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, this is a great bill. I urge my colleagues
to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, this is straightforward legislation that
will extricate property owners and the Federal Government from a legal
quagmire. I support this bill and note that it passed out of the
Committee on Natural Resources by unanimous consent.
Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 8946.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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