59–006 

114TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 114–441 

GULF ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE LAND EXCHANGE 

ACT OF 2016 

MARCH 2, 2016.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. BISHOP of Utah, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 4119] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 4119) to authorize the exchange of certain land located 

in Gulf Islands National Seashore, Jackson County, Mississippi, between the National Park Service and the Veterans of Foreign 

Wars, and for other purposes, 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 ‘‘Gulf Islands National Seashore Land Exchange Act 

of 2016’’. 

SEC. 2. LAND EXCHANGE, GULF ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE, JACKSON COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI. 

(a) LAND EXCHANGE AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of the Interior, acting through 

the Director of the National Park Service (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) may convey to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5699 (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Post’’) all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to 

a parcel of real property, consisting of approximately 1.542 acres and located within 

the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Jackson County, Mississippi, section 34, 

township 7 north, range 8 east. 

(b) LAND TO BE ACQUIRED.—In exchange for the property described in subsection 

(a), the Post shall convey to the Secretary all right, title, and interest of the Post 

in and to a parcel of real property, consisting of approximately 2.161 acres and located in Jackson County, Mississippi, section 34, township 7 north, range 8 east. 

(c) EQUAL VALUE EXCHANGE.—The values of the parcels of real property to be exchanged under this section are deemed to be equal. 

(d) PAYMENT OF COSTS OF CONVEYANCE.— 


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(1) PAYMENT REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall require the Post to cover costs 

to be incurred by the Secretary, or to reimburse the Secretary for such costs 

incurred by the Secretary, to carry out the land exchange under this section, 

including survey costs, costs related to environmental documentation, and any 

other administrative costs related to the land exchange. If amounts are collected 

from the Secretary in advance of the Secretary incurring the actual costs and 

the amount collected exceeds the costs actually incurred by the Secretary to 

carry out the land exchange, the Secretary shall refund the excess amount to 

the Post. 

(2) TREATMENT OF AMOUNTS RECEIVED.—Amounts received as reimbursement 

under paragraph (1) shall be credited to the fund or account that was used to 

cover those costs incurred by the Secretary in carrying out the land exchange. 

Amounts so credited shall be merged with amounts in such fund or account and 

shall be available for the same purposes, and subject to the same conditions and 

limitations, as amounts in such fund or account. 

(e) DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY.—The exact acreage and legal description of property to be exchanged under this section shall be determined by surveys satisfactory 

to the Secretary and the Post. 

(f) CONVEYANCE AGREEMENT.—The exchange of real property under this section 

shall be accomplished using a quit claim deed or other legal instrument and upon 

terms and conditions mutually satisfactory to the Secretary and the Post, including 

such additional terms and conditions as the Secretary considers appropriate to protect the interests of the United States. 

(g) TREATMENT OF ACQUIRED LAND.—Land and interests in land acquired by the 

United States under subsection (b) shall be administered by the Secretary as part 

of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. 

(h) MODIFICATION OF BOUNDARY.—Upon completion of the land exchange under 

this section, the Secretary shall modify the boundary of the Gulf Islands National 

Seashore to reflect such land exchange. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 4119 is to authorize the exchange of certain 

land located in Gulf Islands National Seashore, Jackson County, 

Mississippi, between the National Park Service and the Veterans 

of Foreign Wars. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 5699 in Ocean 

Springs, Mississippi, owns a 3.3 acre lot adjacent to Gulf Islands 

National Seashore’s Davis Bayou Area. The VFW Post’s property is 

essentially landlocked, with the only reasonable access via a long 

driveway across National Park Service property via a VFW road. 

This bill reflects the VFW Post’s proposed land swap of 1.76 acres 

owned by the Post in exchange for the 1 acre owned by the federal 

government containing the existing driveway. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 4119 was introduced on November 19, 2015, by Congressman Steven M. Palazzo (R–MS). The bill was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the 

Subcommittee on Federal Lands. On February 2, 2016, the Natural 

Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee 

was discharged by unanimous consent. Congressman Tom McClintock (R–CA) offered an amendment designated #1. The amendment 

was adopted by unanimous consent. No other amendments were offered, and the bill, as amended, was ordered favorably reported to 

the House of Representatives by unanimous consent on February 

3, 2016. 


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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

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. 4119—Gulf Islands National Seashore Land Exchange Act of 

2016 

H.R. 4119 would authorize the National Park Service (NPS) to 

exchange about 2 acres of land within the Gulf Islands National 

Seashore in Mississippi with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) 

Post 5699. The exchange would provide the VFW with an access 

road 

Based on information from the NPS, CBO estimates that the exchange would not affect the federal budget. Because enacting H.R. 

4119 would not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-as-you-go 

procedures do not apply. 

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4119 would not increase net 

direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 

10-year periods beginning in 2027. 

H.R. 4119 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). 

The bill would authorize a land exchange between the federal government and a private entity, and that exchange would have a 

small incidental effect on property taxes collected by local governments in Mississippi. That effect, however, would not result from 

an intergovernmental mandate as defined in UMRA. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mann Burnett. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, 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. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 

the exchange would not affect 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 authorize the exchange of certain land located in 


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Gulf Islands National Seashore, Jackson County, Mississippi, between the National Park Service and the Veterans of Foreign 

Wars. 

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. 

Æ 


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