Union Calendar No. 185

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 826

[Report No. 104–371]

A BILL

To extend the deadline for the completion of certain

tional Preserve in Texas.land exchanges involving the Big Thicket NaNOVEMBER 30, 1995

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee

dered to be printedof the Whole House on the State of the Union, and or-
IB

Union Calendar No. 185

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 826

[Report No. 104–371]

To extend the deadline for the completion of certain land exchanges involving

the Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 3, 1995

Mr. WILSON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Resources

NOVEMBER 30, 1995

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House

on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]

A BILL

To extend the deadline for the completion of certain land

exchanges involving the Big Thicket National Preserve

in Texas.

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

3 SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF TIME FOR LAND EXCHANGE.

4 The last sentence of subsection (d) of the first section

5 of the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to authorize the establishment
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1 of the Big Thicket National Preserve in the State of

2 Texas, and for other purposes’’, approved October 11,

3 1974 (16 U.S.C. 698), is amended by striking out ‘‘two

4 years after the date of enactment’’ and inserting ‘‘4 years

5 after the date of enactment’’.

6 SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

7 The Congress finds that—

8 (1) under the Big Thicket National Preserve Ad9 dition Act of 1993 (Public Law 103–46), Congress in10 creased the size of the Big Thicket National Preserve

11 through authorized land exchanges;

12 (2) such land exchanges were not consummated

13 by July 1, 1995, as required by Public Law 103–46;

14 and

15 (3) failure to consummate such land exchanges

16 by the end of the three-year extension provided by this

17 Act will necessitate further intervention and direction

18 from Congress concerning such land exchanges.

19 SEC. 2. TIME PERIOD FOR LAND EXCHANGE.

20 (a) EXTENSION.—The last sentence of subsection (d)

21 of the first section of the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to authorize

22 the establishment of the Big Thicket National Preserve in

23 the State of Texas, and for other purposes’’, approved Octo24 ber 11, 1974 (16 U.S.C. 698(d)), is amended by striking
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1 out ‘‘two years after date of enactment’’ and inserting ‘‘five

2 years after the date of enactment’’.

3 (b) INDEPENDENT APPRAISAL.—Subsection (d) of the

4 first section of such Act (16 U.S.C. 698(d)) is further

5 amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘The Sec6 retary, in considering the values of the private lands to be

7 exchanged under this subsection, shall consider independent

8 appraisals submitted by the owners of the private lands.’’.

9 (c) LIMITATION.—Subsection (d) of the first section of

10 such Act (16 U.S.C. 698(d)), as amended by subsection (b),

11 is further amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘The

12 authority to exchange lands under this subsection shall ex13 pire on July 1, 1998.’’.

14 SEC. 3. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

15 Not later than six months after the date of the enact16 ment of this Act and every six months thereafter until the

17 earlier of the consummation of the exchange or July 1,

18 1998, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Ag19 riculture shall each submit a report to the Committee on

20 Resources of the House of Representatives and the Commit21 tee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate concern22 ing the progress in consummating the land exchange au23 thorized by the amendments made by Big Thicket National

24 Preserve Addition Act of 1993 (Public Law 103–46).
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1 SEC. 4. LAND EXCHANGE IN LIBERTY COUNTY, TEXAS.

2 If, within one year after the date of the enactment of

3 this Act—

4 (1) the owners of the private lands described in

5 subsection (b)(1) offer to transfer all their right, title,

6 and interest in and to such lands to the Secretary of

7 the Interior, and

8 (2) Liberty County, Texas, agrees to accept the

9 transfer of the Federal lands described in subsection

10 (b)(2),

11 the Secretary shall accept such offer of private lands and,

12 in exchange and without additional consideration, transfer

13 to Liberty County, Texas, all right, title, and interest of

14 the United States in and to the Federal lands described in

15 subsection (b)(2).

16 (b) LANDS DESCRIBED.—

17 (1) PRIVATE LANDS.—The private lands de18 scribed in this paragraph are approximately 3.76

19 acres of lands located in Liberty County, Texas, as

20 generally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Big Thicket

21 Lake Estates Access—Proposed’’.

22 (2) FEDERAL LANDS.—The Federal lands de23 scribed in this paragraph are approximately 2.38

24 acres of lands located in Menard Creek Corridor Unit

25 of the Big Thicket National Preserve, as generally de26 picted on the map referred to in paragraph (1).
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1 (c) ADMINISTRATION OF LANDS ACQUIRED BY THE

2 UNITED STATES.—The lands acquired by the Secretary

3 under this section shall be added to and administered as

4 part of the Menard Creek Corridor Unit of the Big Thicket

5 National Preserve.

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to extend the

deadline for the completion of certain land exchanges involving the Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas, and

for other purposes.’’.