[House Report 119-292]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
119th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 119-292
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TO REQUIRE THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE TO CONVEY A PARCEL OF
PROPERTY OF THE FOREST SERVICE TO PERRY COUNTY, ARKANSAS,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
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September 15, 2025.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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Mr. Westerman, from the Committee on Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 3187]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 3187) to require the Secretary of Agriculture to
convey a parcel of property of the Forest Service to Perry
County, Arkansas, and for other purposes, having considered the
same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment and
recommends that the bill as amended do pass.
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. CONVEYANCE OF SPECIFIED FOREST SERVICE PROPERTY TO PERRY
COUNTY, ARKANSAS.
(a) Required Conveyance.--Subject to this section, if the County
submits to the Secretary a written request for conveyance of the
property described in subsection (b) not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall convey to the County
all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the
property described in subsection (b).
(b) Description of Property.--
(1) In general.--The property referred to in subsection (a)
is the parcel of real property, including all land and
improvements, generally referred to as parcel 850-10555-001 in
the urban property records of the County, consisting of
approximately 0.81 acres of Forest Service land located at 1069
Fourche Avenue, Perryville, Arkansas 72126.
(2) Survey.--The exact acreage and legal description of land
to be conveyed under subsection (a) shall be determined by a
survey satisfactory to the Secretary.
(c) Terms and Conditions.--The conveyance under subsection (a) shall
be--
(1) subject to valid existing rights;
(2) subject to reversion under subsection (g);
(3) made without consideration;
(4) made by quitclaim deed; and
(5) subject to such other terms and conditions as the
Secretary considers to be appropriate to protect the interests
of the United States.
(d) Costs of Conveyance.--As a condition of the conveyance under
subsection (a), the County shall pay all costs associated with the
conveyance, including the cost of--
(1) a survey, if necessary, under subsection (b)(2);
(2) any environmental analysis or resources survey required
under Federal law; and
(3) any analysis required to comply with division A of
subtitle III of title 54, United States Code (commonly referred
to as the ``National Historic Preservation Act'').
(e) Environmental Conditions.--Notwithstanding section 120(h)(3)(A)
of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9620(h)(3)(A)), the Secretary shall
not be required to provide any covenant or warranty for the property
and improvements conveyed to the County under subsection (a).
(f) Public Purposes Use.--The property conveyed under subsection (a)
shall be used only for public purposes, such as supporting education
and youth development.
(g) Reversion.--If the property conveyed under subsection (a) ceases
to be used in a manner consistent with subsection (f), the property
shall, at the discretion of the Secretary, revert to the United States.
(h) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) County.--The term ``County'' means Perry County,
Arkansas.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATION
The purpose of H.R. 3187 is to require the Secretary of
Agriculture to convey a parcel of property of the Forest
Service to Perry County, Arkansas, and for other purposes.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
Perry County, Arkansas, is a rural area northwest of Little
Rock with roughly 10,000 residents.\1\ The U.S. Forest Service
(USFS) manages approximately 119,171 acres of forested land and
various administrative buildings in Perry County.\2\ One such
building, located on approximately 0.81 acres of land in
Perryville, Arkansas, is currently vacant, and USFS has no
future plans for its use. Perry County has long sought to
acquire this property to meet growing needs in education,
conservation, and youth services, but has been unsuccessful in
doing so for more than a decade.\3\
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\1\United States Census Bureau. Perry County, Arkansas.
data.census.gov, https://data.census.gov/profile/
Perry_County,_Arkansas?g=050XX00US05105.
\2\``USFS Land Conveyance to Perry County, Arkansas: H.R. 3187 One-
Pager.'' The Office of Congressman French Hill. 5 May 2025, https://
hill.house.gov/uploadedfiles/h.r._3187_one-pager.pdf.
\3\THV11, ``Hill working to get old Forest Service building
conveyed to Perry Co.,'' May 9, 2025, https://www.kvom.com/news-sports-
headlines/hill-working-to-get-old-forest-service-building-
conveyed-to-perry-co.
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H.R. 3187 directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey
this building and its surrounding land to Perry County. The
county intends to renovate and repurpose the site to support
the University of Arkansas Extension Program, the Perry County
Conservation District, and youth development programs, such as
4-H.\4\ This is a smart use of public resources that would
serve a compelling public purpose, particularly in a rural
county with limited financial resources. Creating a permanent
space for the University of Arkansas Extension Program and 4-H
Youth Development Program would enhance their coordination and
allow them to extend outreach to more Perry County youth.
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\4\``Rep. Hill Introduces Bill to Transfer U.S. Forest Service
Building to Perry County,'' The Office of Congressman French Hill, May
14, 2024, https://hill.house.gov/news/
documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=9456.
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H.R. 3187 provides a cost-effective solution that leverages
existing infrastructure for community use and empowers local
efforts to support economic development, natural resource
stewardship, and youth engagement. This legislation also
removes a burden from the American taxpayer by disposing of a
vacant federal building, consistent with President Trump's
Executive Order on ``Restoring Common Sense to Federal Office
Space Management.''\5\
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\5\Id.
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COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 3187 was introduced on May 5, 2025, by Representative
French Hill (R-AR). The bill was referred to the Committee on
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee
on Federal Lands. On June 10, 2025, the Subcommittee on Federal
Lands held a hearing on the bill. On July 15, 2025, the
Committee on Natural Resources met to consider the bill. The
Subcommittee on Federal Lands was discharged from further
consideration of H.R. 3187 by unanimous consent. Chairman Bruce
Westerman (R-AR) offered an amendment designated
Westerman_AMD1. The amendment was agreed to by unanimous
consent. The bill, as amended, was ordered favorably reported
to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent.
HEARINGS
For the purposes of clause 3(c)(6) of House rule XIII, the
following hearing was used to develop or consider this measure:
hearing by the Subcommittee on Federal Lands held on June 10,
2025.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1. Conveyance of specified forest service property to Perry
County, Arkansas
Section 1 requires the Secretary of Agriculture to convey
approximately 0.81 acres of USFS land to Perry County, Arkansas
within 180 days of the bill's enactment if the county submits a
written request for the conveyance. Section 1 specifies that
the conveyance will be made subject to valid and existing
rights, without consideration, and that the exact property to
be conveyed will be determined based on the results of a
mutually satisfactory survey. Further, this section requires
Perry County to pay all costs associated with the conveyance.
This section also specifies that the Secretary of Agriculture
shall not have to provide a covenant or warranty for the
property under the ``Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980.''\6\ Finally,
Section 1 dictates that the land and administrative building
conveyed by this legislation will continue to be used for
public purposes, such as supporting education and youth
development, or its ownership will revert back to the United
States federal government.
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\6\42 U.S.C. Sec. 9620(h)(3)(A).
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COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.
COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII AND CONGRESSIONAL
BUDGET ACT
1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act.
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of House rule XIII and section
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and pursuant to
clause 3(c)(3) of House rule XIII and section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has requested
but not received from the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office a budgetary analysis and a cost estimate of this bill.
2. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or
objective of this bill is to require the Secretary of
Agriculture to convey a parcel of property of the Forest
Service to Perry County, Arkansas, and for other purposes.
EARMARK STATEMENT
This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of
the House of Representatives.
UNFUNDED MANDATES REFORM ACT STATEMENT
An estimate of federal mandates prepared by the Director of
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 423 of the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act was not made available to the
Committee in time for the filing of this report. The Chair of
the Committee shall cause such estimate to be printed in the
Congressional Record upon its receipt by the Committee, if such
estimate is not publicly available on the Congressional Budget
Office website.
EXISTING PROGRAMS
Directed Rule Making. This bill does not contain any
directed rule makings.
Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not
establish or reauthorize a program of the federal government
known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was
not included in any report from the Government Accountability
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139
or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program
Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law
98-169) as relating to other programs.
APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW
Any preemptive effect of this bill over state, local, or
tribal law is intended to be consistent with the bill's
purposes and text and the Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the
U.S. Constitution.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
As ordered reported by the Committee on Natural Resources,
H.R. 3187 would make no changes in existing law.
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