IB
Union Calendar No. 392
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 2223
[Report No. 105–693]
To amend the Act popularly known as the Recreation and Public Purposes
Act to authorize transfers of certain public lands or national forest
lands to local education agencies for use for elementary or secondary
schools, including public charter schools, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 23, 1997
Mr. HAYWORTH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources
SEPTEMBER 9, 1998
Additional sponsors: Mr. STUMP, Mr. ENSIGN, Mr. RIGGS, Mr. HANSEN, Mr.
GRAHAM, and Mr. GIBBONS
SEPTEMBER 9, 1998
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 amend the Act popularly known as the Recreation and
Public Purposes Act to authorize transfers of certain
public lands or national forest lands to local education
agencies for use for elementary or secondary schools,
including public charter schools, 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 ‘‘Education Land Grant
Act’’.
SEC. 2. TRANSFERS OF PUBLIC LANDS OR NATIONAL FOR-
EST LANDS FOR USE FOR ELEMENTARY AND
SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
Section 1 of the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to authorize
acquisition or use of public lands by States, counties, or
municipalities for recreational purposes’’, approved June
14, 1926 (Chapter 578; 44 Stat. 741; 43 U.S.C. 869),
popularly known as the Recreation and Public Purposes
Act, is amended—
(1) in subsection (a), in the first sentence—
(A) by inserting ‘‘or national forest lands’’
after ‘‘public lands’’; and
(B) by inserting ‘‘including to a local edu-
cation agency for use for an elementary or sec-
ondary
school,
including
a
public
charter
school,’’ after ‘‘public purposes,’’;
(2) in subsection (a), in the second sentence, by
striking ‘‘public lands’’ and inserting ‘‘lands’’;
(3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘in any na-
tional forest, national park, or national monument,
or national wildlife refuge,’’ and inserting ‘‘in the
National Park System, the National Wildlife Refuge
System, the National Wilderness Preservation Sys-
tem, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System,
the National Trails System, any Bureau of Land
Management area of critical environmental concern,
or any national recreation area,’’ and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(d) DEADLINE FOR CONSIDERATION OF APPLICA-
TION FOR USE FOR SCHOOL.—If the Secretary receives
an application from a duly qualified applicant that is a
local education agency seeking a conveyance of land under
this Act for use for an elementary or secondary school,
including a public charter school, the Secretary shall—
‘‘(1) before the end of the 10-day period begin-
ning on the date of that receipt, provide notice of
that receipt to the applicant; and
‘‘(2) before the end of the 60-day period begin-
ning on the date of that receipt—
‘‘(A) determine whether or not to convey
land pursuant to the application, and notify the
applicant of that determination; or
‘‘(B) report to the Congress and the appli-
cant the reasons that determination has not
been made.’’.
SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION OF USE OF NATIONAL FOREST
LANDS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL PURPOSES.
(a) TRANSFERS.—The Secretary of Agriculture may,
upon a finding that the transfer of certain National Forest
lands for local public school purposes would serve the public
interest, authorize the transfer of up to 40 acres of National
Forest lands to a local governmental entity for public school
purposes. The Secretary may make available only those Na-
tional Forest lands that have been identified for disposal
or exchange or are not otherwise needed for National Forest
purposes. The Secretary shall make such transfers using the
least amount of land required for the efficient operation of
the project involved.
(b) COSTS.—Such transfers may be made at dis-
counted or no-cost. The Secretary shall provide for a no-
cost transfer to a local governmental entity for public school
purposes if the Secretary determines that the charges for
such lands would impose an undue hardship on the local
governmental entity.
(c) CONDITIONS.—Such transfers shall be conditioned
on the requirement that the lands so transferred will be used
solely for public school purposes.
(d) DEADLINE FOR CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATION
FOR USE FOR SCHOOL.—If the Secretary receives an appli-
cation from a duly qualified applicant that is a local edu-
cation agency seeking a conveyance of land under this Act
for use for an elementary or secondary school, including a
public charter school, the Secretary shall—
(1) before the end of the 10-day period beginning
on the date of that receipt, provide notice of that re-
ceipt to the applicant; and
(2) before the end of the 90-day period beginning
on the date of that receipt—
(A) determine whether or not to convey land
pursuant to the application, and notify the ap-
plicant of that determination; or
(B) report to the Congress and the appli-
cant the reasons that determination has not been
made.
Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to provide for
the use of certain National Forest lands for public school
purposes.’’.
Union Calendar No. 392
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 2223
[Report No. 105–693]
A BILL
To amend the Act popularly known as the Recre-
ation and Public Purposes Act to authorize
transfers of certain public lands or national for-
est lands to local education agencies for use for
elementary or secondary schools, including public
charter schools, and for other purposes.
SEPTEMBER 9, 1998
Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee
of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and or-
dered to be printed