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 con-
ducted 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 bound-
ary discrepancies in San Diego County, California, aris-
ing from an erroneous survey conducted by a Govern-
ment contractor in 1881 that resulted in overlapping 
boundaries for certain lands, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rancho El Cajon 
Boundary Reconciliation Act’’.
SEC. 2. RESOLUTION OF BOUNDARY DISCREPANCIES, SAN 
DIEGO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO RESOLVE BOUNDARY DISCREP-
ANCIES.—The Secretary of the Interior may provide com-
pensation to a landowner whose title to land in San Diego 
County, California, is based on an erroneous survey con-
ducted by a Government contractor in 1881 and is ren-
dered void because that title is inferior to the title to the 
same land established by a survey of the Rancho El Cajon 
conducted in 1872 and approved by the Commissioner of 
the General Land Office in 1876. 
(b) COMPENSATION.—
(1) FORMS OF COMPENSATION.—Compensation 
under subsection (a) shall be mutually agreed upon 
by the Secretary and the landowner and shall consist 
of—
(A) public lands in San Diego County, 
California, selected jointly by the Secretary and 
the landowner and conveyed by the Secretary to 
the landowner; 
(B) a cash payment to the landowner; or 
(C) a combination of a conveyance under 
subparagraph (A) and cash payment under sub-
paragraph (B). 
(2) EQUAL
VALUE.—Compensation provided 
under subsection (a) for a parcel of land whose title
was rendered void, as described in such subsection, 
may not exceed the fair market value of the land, as 
determined by an appraisal satisfactory to the Sec-
retary and the landowner. 
(3) SOURCE OF FUNDS.—The Secretary may 
make payments under this subsection using funds 
available to the Secretary to equalize land exchanges 
under section 206(b) of the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1716(b)). 
(c) IDENTIFICATION OF LAND AND LANDOWNERS 
AFFECTED BY BOUNDARY DISCREPANCY.—Not later than 
one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary shall complete a study to identify those land-
owners whose title to land is void or otherwise clouded as 
a result of the erroneous survey referred to in subsection 
(a) and who would be eligible to receive compensation 
under this section. The Secretary shall use the authority 
provided by subsection (a) to compensate any landowner, 
already identified as of the date of the enactment of this 
Act, whose title to lots 1 and 2 of section 9, township 15 
south, range 1 east, San Bernardino Meridian, is rendered 
void as described in such subsection. 
(d) PUBLIC LANDS DEFINED.—In this section, the 
‘‘public lands’’ has the meaning given the term in section
103(e) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976 (7 U.S.C. 1702(e)).
Æ