Title: La Paz County Land Conveyance Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
La Paz County Land Conveyance Act
This bill directs the Department of the Interior, after receiving a request from La Paz County, Arizona, to convey to the county, without consideration, 8,000 acres of specified federal land.
The federal land conveyed under this bill: (1) may be used by the county for any public purposes consistent with the Recreation and Public Purposes Act, and (2) shall not be disposed of by the county.
The county shall pay or reimburse Interior, as appropriate, for the reasonable transaction and administrative personnel costs associated with such conveyance.
The bill declares that the United States is released from any liability arising from any hazardous substance existing on the federal land before such conveyance.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2630 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2630

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to La 
              Paz County, Arizona, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 24, 2017

     Mr. Gosar (for himself, Mr. Franks of Arizona, and Mr. Biggs) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to La 
              Paz County, Arizona, 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 ``La Paz County Land Conveyance Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) County.--The term ``County'' means La Paz County, 
        Arizona.
            (2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means the 
        approximately 8,000 acres of Federal land managed by the Bureau 
        of Land Management and designated as ``Federal land to be 
        conveyed'' on the map.
            (3) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map prepared by the 
        Bureau of Land Management entitled ``Proposed La Paz County 
        Land Conveyance'' and dated May 24, 2017.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.

SEC. 3. CONVEYANCE TO LA PAZ COUNTY, ARIZONA.

    (a) Conveyance Authorized.--Subject to valid existing rights and 
notwithstanding the land use planning requirements of sections 202 and 
203 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 
1712, 1713), not later than 180 days after the date on which the 
Secretary receives a request from the County for the conveyance of the 
Federal land, the Secretary shall convey to the County, without 
consideration, all right, title, and interest of the United States in 
and to the Federal land.
    (b) Use of Conveyed Land.--
            (1) In general.--The Federal land conveyed under subsection 
        (a)--
                    (A) may be used by the County for any public 
                purposes consistent with the Act of June 14, 1926 
                (commonly known as the ``Recreation and Public Purposes 
                Act'') (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.); and
                    (B) shall not be disposed of by the County.
            (2) Reversion.--If the County ceases to use a parcel of the 
        Federal land conveyed under subsection (a) in accordance with 
        paragraph (1)--
                    (A) title to the parcel shall revert to the 
                Secretary, at the option of the Secretary; and
                    (B) the County shall be responsible for any 
                reclamation necessary for the parcel to revert to the 
                United States.
    (c) Availability of Map.--The map shall be on file and available 
for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land 
Management.
    (d) Costs.--At the closing for the conveyance of Federal land under 
subsection (a), the County shall pay or reimburse the Secretary, as 
appropriate, for the reasonable transaction and administrative 
personnel costs associated with the conveyance authorized under that 
subsection, including the costs of title searches, maps, and boundary 
and cadastral surveys.
    (e) Release of United States.--On conveyance of the Federal land 
under subsection (a), notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
United States is released from any and all liabilities or claims of any 
kind or nature arising from the presence, release, or threat of release 
of any hazardous substance, pollutant, contaminant, petroleum product 
(or derivative of a petroleum product of any kind), solid waste, mine 
materials, or mining-related features (including tailings, overburden, 
waste rock, mill remnants, pits, or other hazards resulting from the 
presence of mining-related features) on the Federal land in existence 
before or on the date of the conveyance.
    (f) Acquisition of Federal Reversionary Interest.--
            (1) Request.--After the date of conveyance of the Federal 
        land under subsection (a), the County may submit to the 
        Secretary a request to acquire the Federal reversionary 
        interest in all or any portion of the Federal land.
            (2) Appraisal.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the 
                date of receipt of a request under paragraph (1), the 
                Secretary shall complete an appraisal of the Federal 
                reversionary interest in the Federal land requested by 
                the County under that paragraph.
                    (B) Requirement.--The appraisal under subparagraph 
                (A) shall be completed in accordance with--
                            (i) the Uniform Appraisal Standards for 
                        Federal Land Acquisitions; and
                            (ii) the Uniform Standards of Professional 
                        Appraisal Practice.
            (3) Conveyance required.--If, by the date that is 1 year 
        after the date of completion of the appraisal under paragraph 
        (2), the County submits to the Secretary an offer to acquire 
        the Federal reversionary requested under paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall, not later than the date that is 30 days after 
        the date on which the offer is submitted, convey to the County 
        the reversionary interest covered by the offer.
            (4) Consideration.--As consideration for the conveyance of 
        the Federal reversionary interest under paragraph (3), the 
        County shall pay to the Secretary an amount equal to the 
        appraised value of the Federal reversionary interest, as 
        determined under paragraph (2).
            (5) Costs of conveyance.--As a condition of the conveyance 
        of the Federal reversionary interest under paragraph (3), all 
        costs associated with the conveyance (including the cost of the 
        appraisal under paragraph (2)), shall be paid by the County.
            (6) Restrictions on use not applicable.--On conveyance of 
        the Federal reversionary interest to the County under paragraph 
        (3), the restrictions on the use and disposal of the Federal 
        land under subsection (b) shall not apply to any portion of the 
        Federal land that was subject to the conveyed Federal 
        reversionary interest.
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