Library / Laws / 114th / hr / H.R. 3839 / Reported in House
IB
Union Calendar No. 553
114th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 3839
[Report No. 114–714, Part I]
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 27, 2015
Mrs. Noem introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
September 6, 2016
Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with an amendment
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic
September 6, 2016The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to
be printedFor text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on October 27, 2015
A BILL
To transfer administrative jurisdiction over certain Bureau of Land Management land from the
Secretary of the Interior to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for
inclusion in the Black Hills National Cemetery, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
The Act may be cited as the Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act.
2.
Withdrawal and transfer of public land for cemetery use
(a)
Withdrawal and transfer
Subject to valid existing rights, the public lands described in subsection (b) are hereby—
(1) withdrawn from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining laws, the mineral leasing laws, and the geothermal leasing laws, for as long as the lands remain under the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
(2) deemed property as defined in section 102(9) of title 40, United States Code, for as long as the lands remain under the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and
(3) transferred to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for use as national cemeteries under chapter 24 of title 38, United States Code.
(b)
Land description
The public lands withdrawn, deemed property, and transferred under subsection (a) are the approximately 200 acres of land adjacent to Black Hills National Cemetery, South Dakota, 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, except the land located within 100 feet of the centerline of the Centennial Trail (which runs along the northern boundary of the ‘Proposed National Cemetery Expansion’) and which is located south of that Trail.
(c)
Boundary modification
The boundary of the Black Hills National Cemetery is hereby modified to include the public lands identified in subsection (b).
(d)
Modification of public land order
Public Land Order 2112, dated June 6, 1960 (25 Fed. Reg. 5243), is modified to exclude the lands identified in subsection (b).
3.
Legal descriptions
(a)
Preparation of legal descriptions
As soon as practicable after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall publish in the Federal Register a notice containing the legal descriptions of the public lands withdrawn, deemed property, and transferred under section 2(a).
(b)
Legal effect
The legal descriptions prepared under subsection (a) shall have the same force and effect as if the legal descriptions were included in this Act, except that the Secretary of the Interior may correct any clerical and typographical errors in the legal descriptions.
(c)
Conflict between map and legal description
In the case of a conflict between the map referred to in section 2(b) and the legal descriptions prepared under subsection (a), the map shall control.
(d)
Availability
Copies of the map referred to in section 2(b) and the legal descriptions prepared under subsection (a) shall be available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of—
(1) the Bureau of Land Management; and
(2) the National Cemetery Administration.
(e)
Costs
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall reimburse the Secretary of the Interior for reasonable costs incurred by the Secretary of the Interior in implementing this section, including the costs of any surveys.
4.
Restoration to public lands for non-cemetery use
(a)
Notice and effect
Upon a determination by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs that all or a portion of the lands withdrawn, deemed property, and transferred under section 2 shall not be used for cemetery purposes, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall notify the Secretary of the Interior of such determination. Subject to subsections (b) and (c), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall transfer administrative jurisdiction of the lands subject to such notice to the Secretary of the Interior.
(b)
Decontamination
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall be responsible for costs of any decontamination of the lands subject to a notice under subsection (a) determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be necessary for the lands to be restored to the public lands.
(c)
Restoration to the public lands
The lands subject to a notice under subsection (a) shall only be restored to the public lands upon acceptance by the Secretary of the Interior and a determination by the Secretary of the Interior that such lands are suitable for restoration to the public lands and operation of one or more of the public land laws.
(d)
Opening order
If the Secretary of the Interior accepts the lands subject to such a notice and determines that the lands are suitable for restoration, in whole or in part, the Secretary of the Interior may open the lands to operation of one or more of the public land laws and may issue an order to that effect.
September 6, 2016
Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with an amendmentSeptember 6, 2016The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to
be printed