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104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2135

To provide for the correction of boundaries of certain lands in Clark County,

Nevada, acquired by persons who purchased such lands in good faith

reliance on existing private land surveys.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 27, 1995

Mrs. VUCANOVICH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Resources

A BILL

To provide for the correction of boundaries of certain lands

in Clark County, Nevada, acquired by persons who purchased such lands in good faith reliance on existing

private land surveys.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

4 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds and declares

5 that—

6 (1) certain landowners in the (North) Decatur

7 Boulevard area of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas,

8 Clark County, Nevada, who own property adjacent
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1 to lands managed by the Bureau of Land Manage2 ment have been adversely affected by certain erro3 neous private surveys;

4 (2) these landowners have occupied or improved

5 their property in good faith and in reliance on erro6 neous surveys of their properties that they believed

7 were accurate;

8 (3) these landowners presumed their occupancy

9 was codified through an Eighth Judicial District

10 Court (Nevada) Judgment and Decree filed October

11 26, 1989, as a ‘‘friendly lawsuit’’ affecting numerous

12 landowners in the (North) Decatur Boulevard area;

13 and

14 (4) the 1990 Bureau of Land Management de15 pendent resurvey and section subdivision of sections

16 6, 7, 18, and 19, T. 19 S., R. 61 E., Mount Diablo

17 Meridian, Nevada, correctly established accurate

18 boundaries between such public lands and private

19 lands.

20 SEC. 2. CONVEYANCE OF LANDS.

21 (a) CLAIMS.—Within one year after the date of the

22 enactment of this Act, an owner of real property in the

23 city of Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada, located adjacent

24 to the lands described in subsection (b), may submit to

25 the Secretary of the Interior (hereafter in this Act referred
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1 to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) a claim to that portion of the lands

2 described in subsection (b) which the owner claims to have

3 been deprived by the United States of title to property

4 as a result of previous erroneous private surveys. The

5 claim submitted to the Secretary shall be accompanied

6 by—

7 (1) a description of the lands claimed;

8 (2) information relating to the claim of owner9 ship of such lands; and

10 (3) such other information as the Secretary

11 may require.

12 (b) LANDS DESCRIBED.—The lands described in this

13 subsection are those Federal lands located in the Bureau

14 of Land Management Las Vegas District, Clark County,

15 Nevada, in sections 18 and 19, T. 19 S., R. 61 E., Mount

16 Diablo Meridian, as described by the dependent resurvey

17 by the Bureau of Land Management accepted May 4,

18 1990, under Group No. 683, Nevada, and subsequent sup19 plemental plats of sections 18 and 19, T. 19 S., R. 61

20 E., Mount Diablo Meridian, as contained on plats accepted

21 November 17, 1992. Such lands are described as (1) gov22 ernment lots 22, 23, 26, and 27 in said section 18; and

23 (2) government lots 20, 21, and 24 in said section 19,

24 containing 29.36 acres, more or less.
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1 (c) SECRETARIAL ACTION.—Within six months after

2 receipt of a claim under subsection (a), the Secretary—

3 (1) shall determine whether the claimant was

4 deprived by the United States of title to property as

5 a result of previous erroneous private surveys, based

6 on the survey referred to in section 1(4); and

7 (2) if so, shall execute such instruments as may

8 be necessary to transfer without consideration to the

9 claimant all right, title, and interest of the United

10 States in and to that portion of the lands described

11 in subsection (b) which the Secretary determines are

12 properly claimed by the claimant.

13 (d) AGENCY BY CITY OF LAS VEGAS.—Claims may

14 be submitted directly by an owner of real property referred

15 to in subsection (a) or through the city of Las Vegas act16 ing on behalf of one or more of such claimants.

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