,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #beff  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #h1 #bjad
 ,mr4 ,heller 7for himself and ,mr4     
,reid7 introduced the following bill2   
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,energy and ,natural     
,resources  ,a ,,bill  ,to provide for  
the conveyance of certain public land in
 and around historic mining townsites   
located in the ,state of ,nevada1 and   
for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the ,nevada  
,mining ,townsite ,conveyance ,act4  #b4
 ,disposal of public land in mining     
townsites1 ,esmeralda1 ,nye1 and ,storey
 counties1 ,nevada  7a7 ,findings       
,congress finds that-- 7#a7 the ,federal
 ,government owns real property in and  
around historic mining townsites in the 
counties of ,esmeralda1 ,nye1 and       
,storey in the ,state of ,nevada2  7#b7 
while the real property described in    
paragraph 7#a7 is under the jurisdiction
 of the ,secretary1 some of the real    

property has been occupied for decades  
by individuals-- 7,a7 who took          
possession by purchase or other         
documented and putatively legal         
transactions2 and  7,b7 the continued   
occupation by whom constitutes a        
trespass on the title held by the       
,federal ,government2  7#c7 as a result 
of the confused and conflicting         
ownership claims1 the real property     
described in paragraph 7#a7-- 7,a7 is   
difficult to manage under multiple use  
policies2 and  7,b7 creates a continuing
 source of friction and unease between  
the ,federal ,government and local      
residents2  7#d7 7,a7 all of the real   
property described in paragraph 7#a7 is 
appropriate for disposal for the purpose
 of promoting administrative efficiency 
and effectiveness2 and  7,b7 as of the  
date of enactment of this ,act1 the     
,bureau of ,land ,management has        
identified the mining townsites for     
disposal2 and  7#e7 to promote the      
responsible resource management of the  

real property described in paragraph    
7#a71 certain parcels should be conveyed
 to the county in which the property is 
situated in accordance with land use    
management plans of the ,bureau of ,land
 ,management so that the county may1 in 
addition to other actions1 dispose of   
the property to individuals residing on 
or otherwise occupying the real         
property4  7b7 ,definitions ,in this    
,act3 7#a7 ,conveyance maps ,the term   
conveyance maps means-- 7,a7 the map    
entitled ,original ,mining ,townsite    
,ione ,nevada and dated ,october #ag1   
#bjje2  7,b7 the map entitled ,original 
,mining ,townsite ,gold ,point and dated
 ,october #ag1 #bjje2 and  7,c7 the map 
entitled ,restoring ,storey ,county ,act
 and dated ,november #bj1 #bjab4  7#b7  
,mining townsite ,the term mining       
townsite means real property-- 7,a7     
located in the ,gold ,point1 ,ione1     
,gold ,hill1 and ,virginia ,city        
townsites within the counties of        
,esmeralda1 ,nye1 and ,storey1 ,nevada1 

as depicted on the conveyance maps2     
7,b7 that is owned by the ,federal      
,government2 and  7,c7 on which         
improvements were constructed based on  
the belief that-- 7i7 the property had  
been or would be acquired from the      
,federal ,government by the entity that 
operated the mine2 or  7ii7 the         
individual or entity that made the      
improvement had a valid claim for       
acquiring the property from the ,federal
 ,government4  7,d7 ,secretary ,the term
 ,secretary means the ,secretary of the 
,interior1 acting through the ,bureau of
 ,land ,management4  7c7 ,mining claim  
validity review  7#a7 ,in general ,as   
soon as practicable after the date of   
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
shall carry out an expedited program to 
examine each unpatented mining claim    
7including each unpatented mining claim 
for which a patent application has been 
filed7 within each mining townsite4     
7#b7 ,determination of validity ,with   
respect to a mining claim1 if the       

,secretary determines that the elements 
of a contest are present1 the ,secretary
 shall immediately determine the        
validity of the mining claim4  7#c7     
,declaration by ,secretary ,if the      
,secretary determines a mining claim to 
be invalid1 as soon as practicable after
 the date of the determination1 the     
,secretary shall declare the mining     
claim to be null and void4  7#d7        
,treatment of valid mining claims  7,a7 
,in general ,each mining claim that the 
,secretary determines to be valid shall 
be maintained in compliance with the    
general mining laws and subsection      
7d77#b77;,b74  7,b7 ,effect on holders  
,a holder of a mining claim described in
 subparagraph 7,a7 shall not be entitled
 to a patent4  7#e7 ,abandonment of     
claim ,the ,secretary shall provide--   
7,a7 public notice that each mining     
claim holder may affirmatively abandon  
the claim of the mining claim holder    
prior to the validity review2 and  7,b7 
to each mining claim holder an          

opportunity to abandon the claim of the 
mining claim holder before the date on  
which the land that is subject to the   
mining claim is conveyed4  7d7          
,conveyance authority  7#a7 ,in general 
,after completing a validity review     
under subsection 7c71 notwithstanding   
sections #bjb and #bjc of the ,federal  
,land ,policy and ,management ,act of   
#aigf 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #agab1 #agac7 and  
subject to the agreement of the county1 
the ,secretary shall convey to the      
appropriate county1 without             
consideration1 all right1 title1 and    
interest of the ,united ,states in and  
to the mining townsites 7including      
improvements on the mining townsites7-- 
7,a7 identified for conveyance on the   
conveyance maps2 and  7,b7 that are not 
subject to valid mining claims4  7#b7   
,valid mining claims  7,a7 ,in general  
,with respect to each parcel of land    
located in a mining townsite subject to 
a valid mining claim1 the ,secretary    
shall reserve the mineral rights and    

otherwise convey1 without consideration1
 the remaining right1 title1 and        
interest of the ,united ,states in and  
to the mining townsite 7including       
improvements on the mining townsite7    
that is identified for conveyance on a  
conveyance map4  7,b7 ,procedures and   
requirements ,each valid mining claim   
shall be subject to each procedure and  
requirement described in section #i of  
the ,act of ,december #bi1 #aiaf 7#dc   
,u4,s4,c4 #bii7 7commonly known as the  
,stockraising ,homestead ,act of #aiaf7 
7including regulations74  7#c7          
,availability of conveyance maps ,the   
conveyance maps shall be on file and    
available for public inspection in the  
appropriate offices of the ,bureau of   
,land ,management4  7e7 ,recipients     
7#a7 ,original recipient ,subject to    
paragraph 7#b71 the conveyance of a     
mining townsite under subsection 7d7    
shall be made to the county in which the
 mining townsite is situated4  7#b7     
,reconveyance to occupants  7,a7 ,in    

general ,in the case of a mining        
townsite conveyed under subsection 7d7  
for which a valid interest is proven by 
#a or more individuals1 under the       
provisions of ,nevada ,revised ,statutes
 ,chapter #bdd1 the county that receives
 the mining townsite under paragraph    
7#a7 shall reconvey the property to the 
#a or more individuals by appropriate   
deed or other legal conveyance as       
provided in that chapter4  7,b7         
,authority of county ,a county described
 in subparagraph 7,a7 is not required to
 recognize a claim under this paragraph 
that is submitted on a date that is     
later than #e years after the date of   
enactment of this ,act4  7f7 ,valid     
existing rights ,the conveyance of a    
mining townsite under subsection 7d7    
shall be subject to valid existing      
rights1 including any easement or other 
right-of-way or lease in existence as of
 the date of the conveyance4  7g7       
,withdrawals ,subject to valid rights in
 existence on the date of enactment of  

this ,act1 and except as otherwise      
provided in this ,act1 the mining       
townsites are withdrawn from-- 7#a7 all 
forms of entry1 appropriation1 or       
disposal under the public land laws2    
7#b7 location1 entry1 and patent under  
the mining laws2 and  7#c7 disposition  
under all laws pertaining to mineral and
 geothermal leasing or mineral          
materials4  7h7 ,survey ,a mining       
townsite to be conveyed by the ,united  
,states under subsection 7d7 shall be   
sufficiently surveyed as a whole to     
legally describe the land for patent    
conveyance4  7i7 ,conveyance of         
terminated mining claims ,if a mining   
claim determined by the ,secretary to be
 valid under subsection 7c7 is          
abandoned1 invalidated1 or otherwise    
returned to the ,bureau of ,land        
,management1 the mining claim shall be--
 7#a7 withdrawn in accordance with      
subsection 7g72 and  7#b7 subject to the
 agreement of the owner1 conveyed to the
 owner of the surface rights covered by 

the mining claim4  7j7 ,release ,on     
completion of the conveyance of a mining
 townsite under subsection 7d71 the     
,united ,states shall be relieved from  
liability for1 and shall be held        
harmless from1 any and all claims       
arising from the presence of            
improvements and materials on the       
conveyed property4  7k7 ,deadline for   
review and conveyances ,it is the sense 
of ,congress that the examination of the
 unpatented mining claims under         
subsection 7c7 and the conveyances under
 subsection 7d7 should be completed not 
later than #ah months after the date of 
enactment of this ,act4