Title: Desert Community Lands Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Desert Community Lands Act
This bill directs the Department of the Interior to convey, without consideration, to the town of Apple Valley in California the surface estate of specified land, to be known and designated as the Apple Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area.
The conveyed land may be used by the town to provide: (1) a suitable location for the establishment of a centralized, off-road vehicle recreation park; (2) the public with opportunities for off-road vehicle recreation; and (3) a designated area and facilities that would discourage unauthorized use of off-highway vehicles in areas that have been identified by the federal government, the state of California, or San Bernardino County, California, to contain environmentally sensitive land.
Such land may not be disposed of by the town without Interior's approval.
Interior may develop a special management plan for the recreation area to enhance the safe use of off-highway vehicles for recreational purposes.
Interior shall convey, without consideration, the surface estate of specified lands to the cities of Twentynine Palms, Barstow, and Victorville in California.
All land conveyances under this bill are subject to valid existing rights and do not include the mineral estate in the lands conveyed.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2365 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2365

     To convey certain Federal land in California to Apple Valley, 
  California, Twentynine Palms, California, Barstow, California, and 
                        Victorville, California.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 4, 2017

   Mr. Cook introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To convey certain Federal land in California to Apple Valley, 
  California, Twentynine Palms, California, Barstow, California, and 
                        Victorville, California.

    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 ``Desert Community Lands Act''.

SEC. 2. CONVEYANCE FOR APPLE VALLEY OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE RECREATION 
              AREA.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Town.--The term ``Town'' means the town of Apple 
        Valley, California.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
    (b) Conveyance of Federal Land to Town.--
            (1) Conveyance required.--Not later than 5 years after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall convey 
        to the Town, without consideration, all right, title, and 
        interest of the United States in and to the surface estate of 
        the approximately 4,630 acres of land generally depicted as 
        ``Proposed Conveyance Area'' on the entitled ``Conveyance to 
        Town of Apple Valley'' and dated June 1, 2015. Such land shall 
        be known and designated as the ``Apple Valley Off-Highway 
        Vehicle Recreation Area''.
            (2) Existing rights and mineral estate.--The conveyance 
        under this subsection--
                    (A) is subject to valid existing rights; and
                    (B) does not include the mineral estate.
    (c) Use of Conveyed Land.--
            (1) In general.--The land conveyed under subsection (b) may 
        be used by the Town for any public purpose authorized in 
        paragraph (2), consistent with the Act of June 14, 1926 
        (commonly known as the Recreation and Public Purposes Act; 43 
        U.S.C. 869 et seq.).
            (2) Authorized purposes.--The purposes of the conveyance 
        under subsection (b) are to allow the Town to use the conveyed 
        land to provide--
                    (A) a suitable location for the establishment of a 
                centralized off-road vehicle recreation park;
                    (B) the public with opportunities for off-road 
                vehicle recreation, including a location for races, 
                competitive events, training and other commercial 
                services that directly support a centralized off-road 
                vehicle recreation area and Town park; and
                    (C) a designated area and facilities that would 
                discourage unauthorized use of off-highway vehicles in 
                areas that have been identified by the Federal 
                Government, the State of California, or the County as 
                containing environmentally sensitive land.
            (3) Disposal prohibited.--The land conveyed under 
        subsection (b) may not be disposed of by the Town without the 
        approval of the Secretary.
    (d) Management Plan.--The Secretary may develop a special 
management plan for the Apple Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation 
Area to enhance the safe use of off-highway vehicles for recreational 
purposes.

SEC. 3. CONVEYANCE TO CITY OF TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIFORNIA.

    (a) Conveyance Required.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall convey 
to the city of Twentynine Palms, California, without consideration, all 
right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the surface 
estate of the land generally depicted as ``Proposed Conveyance to 
Twentynine Palms'' on the map entitled ``Proposed Conveyance to 
Twentynine Palms'' and dated September 18, 2015.
    (b) Existing Rights and Mineral Estate.--The conveyance under this 
section--
            (1) is subject to valid existing rights; and
            (2) does not include the mineral estate.

SEC. 4. CONVEYANCE TO CITY OF BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA.

    (a) Conveyance Required.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall convey 
to the city of Barstow, California, without consideration, all right, 
title, and interest of the United States in and to the surface estate 
of the land generally depicted as ``Proposed Conveyance'' on the map 
entitled ``Proposed Conveyance to the City of Barstow'' and dated 
January 13, 2017.
    (b) Existing Rights and Mineral Estate.--The conveyance under this 
section--
            (1) is subject to valid existing rights; and
            (2) does not include the mineral estate.

SEC. 5. CONVEYANCE TO CITY OF VICTORVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

    (a) Conveyance Required.--Not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall convey 
to the City of Victorville, California, without consideration, all 
right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the surface 
estate of the land generally depicted as ``Proposed Conveyance'' on the 
map entitled ``Proposed Conveyance to the City of Victorville'' and 
dated April 25, 2017.
    (b) Existing Rights and Mineral Estate.--The conveyance under this 
subsection--
            (1) is subject to valid existing rights; and
            (2) does not include the mineral estate.
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