,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ccib  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #be1 #bjag,mr4 
,johnson of ,louisiana introduced the   
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,natural ,resources   
,a ,,bill  ,to provide for stability of 
title to certain land in the ,state of  
,louisiana1 and for other purposes4  #a4
 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as
 the ,lake ,bistineau ,land ,title      
,stability ,act4  #b4 ,findings and     
purpose  7a7 ,findings ,congress finds  
that--  7#a7 on ,december #h1 #ahdb1 the
 ,surveyor ,general approved an original
 survey of land in northern ,louisiana1 
which included the land surrounding     
,lake ,bistineau2  7#b7 under the equal 
footing doctrine1 the ,state of         
,louisiana was entitled to the land     
underlying the navigable waters in place
 within the boundaries of the ,state as 
of the date on which the ,state joined  
the ,union2  7#c7 the ,state of         
,louisiana delineated the ownership of  

the land in the ,state based on the     
,original ,survey2  7#d7 in #aija1 the  
,state of ,louisiana-- 7,a7 transferred 
more than #g1jjj acres of land to the   
commissioners of the ,bossier ,levee    
,district through ,louisiana ,act       
,number #hi of #ahib2 and  7,b7         
conducted a survey that followed the    
same path around ,lake ,bistineau as the
 path included in the ,original ,survey2
  7#e7 in #aijd1 the ,bossier ,levee    
,district subsequently conveyed the land
 described in paragraph 7#d77;,a7 to    
private ownership2  7#f7 parcels of the 
land described in paragraph 7#d77;,a7   
were bought and sold in good faith based
 on the stability of the title to the   
land2  7#g7 on ,september #af1 #aifg1   
the ,bureau of ,land ,management        
submitted a resurvey of the land        
described in paragraph 7#d77;,a7 for    
,s#cj-,t#af,n-,r#aj,w and #b adjacent   
islands1 which presented a new line to  
represent what the ,bureau of ,land     
,management surveyors believed to be the

 contour of ,lake ,bistineau as of the  
date on which the ,state of ,louisiana  
joined the ,union2  7#h7 on ,january    
#ae1 #aifi1 the ,bureau of ,land        
,management approved the ,resurvey2     
7#i7 on ,february #bg1 #aifi1 notice of 
the filing of the ,resurvey was filed in
 the ,federal ,register 7#cd ,fed4 ,reg4
 #bfgg71 but the ,bureau of ,land       
,management has presented no records of 
further notice provided to the affected 
landowners regarding--  7,a7 the effects
 of the ,resurvey2 or  7,b7 the right of
 affected landowners to contest the     
,resurvey2  7#aj7 on ,september #bg1    
#bjac1 the ,bureau of ,land ,management 
responded to an inquiry by certain      
owners of land subject to the ,resurvey 
to inform the landowners that title to  
the land of the landowners would appear 
to be still vested in the ,united       
,states2 and  7#aa7 there are estimated 
to be more than #bjj acres of1 and more 
than #ej residential homes located on1  
the land subject to the ,resurvey4  7b7 

,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to
 direct the ,secretary of the ,interior 
to issue a recordable disclaimer of     
interest of the ,united ,states in and  
to--  7#a7 any land described in        
paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b7 of subsection  
7b7 of section #d that is located       
outside the record meander lines        
described in that subsection2 and  7#b7 
any omitted land4  #c4 ,definitions ,in 
this ,act3  7#a7 ,omitted land ,the term
 omitted land means any land in         
,s#cj-,t#af,n-,r#aj,w1 including        
adjacent islands and the meander lines  
of the water body1 that was in place    
during the ,original ,survey1 but that  
was not included in the ,original       
,survey1 regardless of whether the      
exclusion of the land was due to gross  
error in the ,original ,survey or fraud 
by any individual conducting the        
,original ,survey4  7#b7 ,original      
survey ,the term ,original ,survey means
 the survey of land in northern         
,louisiana approved by the ,surveyor    

,general on ,december #h1 #ahdb4  7#c7  
,resurvey ,the term ,resurvey means the 
document entitled ,dependent            
,re-,survey1 ,extension ,survey and     
,survey of ,two ,islands1 ,sections #ag1
 #bi1 and #cj1 which was completed on   
,november #bd1 #aifg1 approved on       
,january #ae1 #aifi1 and published in   
the ,federal ,register on ,february #bg1
 #aifi 7#cd ,fed4 ,reg4 #bfgg74  7#d7   
,secretary ,the term ,secretary means   
the ,secretary of the ,interior4  #d4   
,legal status of ,resurvey  7a7 ,in     
general ,the ,resurvey--  7#a7 shall not
 be considered to be1 or serve as1 a    
gross error determination2 and  7#b7    
shall have no legal force or effect on  
the ownership of the land described in  
paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b7 of subsection  
7b74  7b7 ,meander lines ,the meander   
lines in the ,original ,survey are      
definitive for purposes of determining  
title to-- 7#a7 the land in             
,s#cj-,t#af,n-,r#aj,w2 and  7#b7 the #b 
islands adjacent to the land described  

in paragraph 7#a74  7c7 ,disclaimer of  
interest  7#a7 ,in general ,the         
,secretary shall prepare a disclaimer of
 interest in which the ,united ,states  
disclaims any right1 title1 or interest 
of the ,united ,states in and to--  7,a7
 any land described in paragraphs 7#a7  
and 7#b7 of subsection 7b7 that is      
located outside the recorded meander    
lines described in that subsection2 and 
7,b7 any omitted land4  7#b7 ,filing    
,the ,secretary shall record the        
disclaimer of interest prepared under   
paragraph 7#a7 in the appropriate local 
office in the ,state of ,louisiana in   
which real property documents are       
recorded4  7#c7 ,inclusions ,the        
disclaimer of interest filed under      
paragraph 7#b7 shall include legal      
descriptions of the land subject to the 
disclaimer of interest using the lot or 
tract numbers included in the ,resurvey4