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[House Report 113-402]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

113th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     113-402

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              HERMISTON REVERSIONARY INTEREST RELEASE ACT

                                _______
                                

 April 4, 2014.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Hastings of Washington, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 3366]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 3366) to provide for the release of the property 
interests retained by the United States in certain land 
conveyed in 1954 by the United States, acting through the 
Director of the Bureau of Land Management, to the State of 
Oregon for the establishment of the Hermiston Agricultural 
Research and Extension Center of Oregon State University in 
Hermiston, Oregon, having considered the same, report favorably 
thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as 
amended do pass.
    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Hermiston Reversionary Interest 
Release Act''.

SEC. 2. RELEASE OF RETAINED INTERESTS IN BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT LAND 
                    CONVEYED TO THE STATE OF OREGON FOR ESTABLISHMENT 
                    OF HERMISTON AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EXTENSION 
                    CENTER.

  (a) Release of Retained Interests.--Any reservation or reversionary 
interest retained by the United States to the approximately 290 acres 
in Hermiston, Oregon, depicted as ``Reversionary Interest Area'' on the 
map entitled ``Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center'' 
and dated July 23, 2013, is hereby released without consideration.
  (b) Instrument of Release.--The Secretary of the Interior, acting 
through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, shall execute 
and file in the appropriate office a deed of release, amended deed, or 
other appropriate instrument reflecting the release of retained 
interests under subsection (a).

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 3366 is to provide for the release of 
the property interests retained by the United States in certain 
land conveyed in 1954 by the United States, acting through the 
Director of the Bureau of Land Management, to the State of 
Oregon for the establishment of the Hermiston Agricultural 
Research and Extension Center of Oregon State University in 
Hermiston, Oregon.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    H.R. 3366 would release the Bureau of Land Management's 
reversionary interest in 290 acres that were conveyed to the 
State of Oregon in 1954 for the establishment of the Hermiston 
Agricultural Research and Extension Center (HAREC) of Oregon 
State University (OSU) in Hermiston, Oregon.
    In 1954, the federal government conveyed the 290 acres 
affected by this legislation to the State of Oregon for the 
creation of the HAREC. The federal government retains a 
reversionary interest in the property and the property would 
return to federal ownership if it is not specifically used for 
agricultural research purposes. As the city of Hermiston 
continues to grow up around the HAREC, this reversionary 
interest denies OSU and the city the control and flexibility 
needed to efficiently manage the property and advance new 
agricultural research programs. Lifting the reversionary 
interest will advance the goals of the HAREC and OSU, benefit 
the local economy and create job opportunities to meet the 
demands of the growing region.
    Adjacent to the 290 acres affected by H.R. 3366 is a six 
acre parcel of land that previously reverted back to the Bureau 
of Land Management (BLM) and currently stands idle. This parcel 
will be orphaned, is of no use to BLM and will be a challenge 
to manage when the reversionary interest is removed from the 
290 acres being used for the HAREC. The six acres could be 
better managed if it were to rejoin and be managed with the 
adjacent 290 acres.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 3366 was introduced on October 29, 2013, by 
Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR). The bill was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the 
Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. On 
February 26, 2014, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. 
On March 13, 2014, the Natural Resources Committee met to 
consider the bill. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and 
Environmental Regulation was discharged by unanimous consent. 
Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT) offered an amendment designated 
#1; the amendment was adopted by unanimous consent. The bill as 
amended was then adopted and ordered favorably reported to the 
House of Representatives by unanimous consent.

            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

    1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and 
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be 
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) 
of that rule provides that this requirement does not apply when 
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted 
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Under clause 3(c)(3) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 
403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has 
received the following cost estimate for this bill from the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

H.R. 3366--Hermiston Reversionary Interest Release Act

    H.R. 3366 would require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
to convey a reversionary interest in about 290 acres of land to 
the State of Oregon. The affected lands were conveyed to the 
state under the condition that interest in the lands would 
revert to BLM if the state stopped using the land for certain 
agricultural purposes. Under the bill, that condition would no 
longer apply.
    Based on information provided by BLM, CBO estimates that 
implementing the legislation would have no significant effect 
on the federal budget. Because we expect that the affected 
lands would not generate any receipts for the federal 
government over the next 10 years, CBO estimates that enacting 
the legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues; 
therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    H.R. 3366 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave. The 
estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.
    2. Section 308(a) of Congressional Budget Act. As required 
by clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget 
Act of 1974, this bill does not contain any new budget 
authority, spending authority, credit authority, or an increase 
or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. CBO estimates that 
implementing the legislation would have no significant effect 
on the federal budget.
    3. 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 provide for the release of the 
property interests retained by the United States in certain 
land conveyed in 1954 by the United States, acting through the 
Director of the Bureau of Land Management, to the State of 
Oregon for the establishment of the Hermiston Agricultural 
Research and Extension Center of Oregon State University in 
Hermiston, Oregon.

                           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.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                       COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5

    Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that 
this bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any 
specific rule-making proceedings.
    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.

                PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

    This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or 
tribal law.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing 
law.

                                  
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