Elko National Cemetery Act
Bill: S.726 | Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine (D-NV)
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Elko National Cemetery Act
This bill transfers jurisdiction over certain public land in Elko, Nevada, from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Veterans Affairs for use as a national cemetery.

To transfer administrative jurisdiction over certain Bureau of Land 
Management land from the Secretary of the Interior to the Secretary of 
    Veterans Affairs for use as a national cemetery, and for other 
                               purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Elko National Cemetery Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means the 
        approximately 15 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in 
        Elko, Nevada, that is more particularly described as NE\1/4\ 
        SW\1/4 \NW\1/4\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\SW\1/4\NW\1/4\, sec. 8, T. 34 N., 
        R. 55 E., of the Mount Diablo Meridian, as depicted on the map 
        prepared by the Bureau of Land Management, entitled ``Proposed 
        National Cemetery-Elko Nevada'', and dated September 9, 2015.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.

SEC. 3. TRANSFER AND WITHDRAWAL OF BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT LAND FOR 
              USE AS A NATIONAL CEMETERY.

    (a) Transfer of Administrative Jurisdiction.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to valid existing rights, 
        administrative jurisdiction over the Federal land is 
        transferred from the Secretary to the Secretary of Veterans 
        Affairs for use as a national cemetery in accordance with 
        chapter 24 of title 38, United States Code.
            (2) Legal descriptions.--
                    (A) In general.--As soon as practicable after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
                publish in the Federal Register a notice containing a 
                legal description of the Federal land.
                    (B) Effect.--A legal description published under 
                subparagraph (A) shall have the same force and effect 
                as if included in this Act, except that the Secretary 
                may correct any clerical and typographical errors in 
                the legal description.
                    (C) Availability.--Copies of the legal description 
                published under subparagraph (A) shall be available for 
                public inspection in the appropriate offices of--
                            (i) the Bureau of Land Management; and
                            (ii) the National Cemetery Administration.
                    (D) Costs.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
                reimburse the Secretary for the costs incurred by the 
                Secretary in carrying out this paragraph, including the 
                costs of any surveys and other reasonable costs.
    (b) Withdrawal.--Subject to valid existing rights, for any period 
during which the Federal land is under the administrative jurisdiction 
of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Federal land--
            (1) is withdrawn from all forms of appropriation under the 
        public land laws, including the mining laws, the mineral 
        leasing laws, and the geothermal leasing laws; and
            (2) shall be treated as property (as defined in section 102 
        of title 40, United States Code).
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