I 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3954

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to resolve boundary discrepancies 

in San Diego County, California, arising from an erroneous survey conducted by a Government contractor in 1881 that resulted in overlapping 

boundaries for certain lands, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 11, 2004

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

Committee on Resources 

A BILL

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to resolve boundary discrepancies in San Diego County, California, arising from an erroneous survey conducted by a Government contractor in 1881 that resulted in overlapping 

boundaries for certain lands, and for other purposes.

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rancho El Cajon 

5 Boundary Reconciliation Act’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. RESOLUTION OF BOUNDARY DISCREPANCIES, SAN 

2 DIEGO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 

3 (a) AUTHORITY TO RESOLVE BOUNDARY DISCREP4 ANCIES.—The Secretary of the Interior may provide com5 pensation to a landowner whose title to land in San Diego 

6 County, California, is based on an erroneous survey con7 ducted by a Government contractor in 1881 and is ren8 dered void because that title is inferior to the title to the 

9 same land established by a survey of the Rancho El Cajon 

10 conducted in 1872 and approved by the Commissioner of 

11 the General Land Office in 1876. 

12 (b) COMPENSATION.—

13 (1) FORMS OF COMPENSATION.—Compensation 

14 under subsection (a) shall be mutually agreed upon 

15 by the Secretary and the landowner and shall consist 

16 of—

17 (A) public lands in San Diego County, 

18 California, selected jointly by the Secretary and 

19 the landowner and conveyed by the Secretary to 

20 the landowner; 

21 (B) a cash payment to the landowner; or 

22 (C) a combination of a conveyance under 

23 subparagraph (A) and cash payment under sub24 paragraph (B). 

25 (2) EQUAL VALUE.—Compensation provided 

26 under subsection (a) for a parcel of land whose title 
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1 was rendered void, as described in such subsection, 

2 may not exceed the fair market value of the land, as 

3 determined by an appraisal satisfactory to the Sec4 retary and the landowner. 

5 (3) SOURCE OF FUNDS.—The Secretary may 

6 make payments under this subsection using funds 

7 available to the Secretary to equalize land exchanges 

8 under section 206(b) of the Federal Land Policy and 

9 Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1716(b)). 

10 (c) IDENTIFICATION OF LAND AND LANDOWNERS

11 AFFECTED BY BOUNDARY DISCREPANCY.—Not later than 

12 one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

13 Secretary shall complete a study to identify those land14 owners whose title to land is void or otherwise clouded as 

15 a result of the erroneous survey referred to in subsection 

16 (a) and who would be eligible to receive compensation 

17 under this section. The Secretary shall use the authority 

18 provided by subsection (a) to compensate any landowner, 

19 already identified as of the date of the enactment of this 

20 Act, whose title to lots 1 and 2 of section 9, township 15 

21 south, range 1 east, San Bernardino Meridian, is rendered 

22 void as described in such subsection. 

23 (d) PUBLIC LANDS DEFINED.—In this section, the 

24 ‘‘public lands’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
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1 103(e) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 

2 of 1976 (7 U.S.C. 1702(e)).

Æ