I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4196 
To authorize the conveyance of certain environmentally sensitive land at 
former Fort Sheridan, Illinois, for the purpose of ensuring the permanent 
protection of the lands. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 22, 2004 
Mr. KIRK introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To authorize the conveyance of certain environmentally sen-
sitive land at former Fort Sheridan, Illinois, for the 
purpose of ensuring the permanent protection of the 
lands. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. LAND CONVEYANCE, NAVY PROPERTY, FORMER 
FORT SHERIDAN, ILLINOIS. 
(a) CONVEYANCE AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of 
the Navy may convey, without consideration, to the State 
of Illinois, a political subdivision of the State, or a non-
profit land conservation organization (in this section col-
lectively referred to as the ‘‘grantee’’), all right, title, and 
interest of the United States in and to certain environ-
mentally sensitive land at the former Fort Sheridan, Illi-
nois, consisting of mostly bluffs and ravines, for the pur-
pose of ensuring the permanent protection of the lands. 
(b) REVERSIONARY INTEREST.—If the Secretary de-
termines at any time that the real property conveyed 
under subsection (a) is not being used or maintained in 
accordance with the purpose of the conveyance specified 
in such subsection, all right, title, and interest in and to 
all or any portion of the property shall revert, at the option 
of the Secretary, to the United States, and the United 
States shall have the right of immediate entry onto the 
property. Any determination of the Secretary under this 
subsection shall be made on the record after an oppor-
tunity for a hearing. 
(c) RECONVEYANCE AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary 
may permit the grantee to convey the real property con-
veyed under subsection (a) to another eligible entity de-
scribed in such subsection, subject to the same covenants 
and terms and conditions as provided in the deed from 
the United States. 
(d) PAYMENT OF COSTS OF CONVEYANCE.—(1) The 
Secretary shall require the grantee to cover costs to be 
incurred by the Secretary, or to reimburse the Secretary
for costs incurred by the Secretary, to carry out the con-
veyance under subsection (a), including survey costs, costs 
related to environmental documentation, and other admin-
istrative costs related to the conveyance. If amounts are 
collected from the grantee in advance of the Secretary in-
curring the actual costs, and the amount collected exceeds 
the costs actually incurred by the Secretary to carry out 
the conveyance, the Secretary shall refund the excess 
amount to the grantee. 
(2) Amounts received as reimbursement under para-
graph (1) shall be credited to the fund or account that 
was used to cover the costs incurred by the Secretary in 
carrying out the conveyance. Amounts so credited shall be 
merged with amounts in such fund or account, and shall 
be available for the same purposes, and subject to the 
same conditions and limitations, as amounts in such fund 
or account. 
(e) EXEMPTION FROM FEDERAL SCREENING.—The 
conveyance authorized by subsection (a) is exempt from 
the requirement to screen the property for other Federal 
use pursuant to sections 2693 and 2696 of title 10, United 
States Code. 
(f) DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY.—The exact acreage 
and legal description of the real property to be conveyed
under subsection (a) shall be determined by a survey satis-
factory to the Secretary. 
(g) ADDITIONAL TERMS
AND CONDITIONS.—The 
Secretary may require such additional terms and condi-
tions in connection with the conveyance under subsection 
(a) as the Secretary considers appropriate to protect the 
interests of the United States. 
(h) USE
OF ALTERNATE CONVEYANCE AUTHOR-
ITY.—In lieu of using the authority provided by this sec-
tion to convey the real property described in subsection 
(a), the Secretary may elect to include the property in a 
conveyance authorized by section 2878 of title 10, United 
States Code, subject to such terms, reservations, restric-
tions, and conditions as may be necessary to ensure the 
permanent protection of the property, if the Secretary de-
termines that a conveyance under such section is advan-
tageous to the interests of the United States. 
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