Lake Bistineau Land Title Stability Act

Bill: 115-s-1219
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]
Introduced: 2017-05-24
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Land transfers

Louisiana
Latest action: action_date: 2018-12-04
text: By Senator Murkowski from Committee on Energy and Natural Resources filed written report. Report No. 115-403.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-05-24
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Lake Bistineau Land Title Stability Act</b></p> <p>This bill declares that the document titled &quot;Dependent Re-Survey, Extension Survey and Survey of Two Islands, Sections 17, 29, and 30&quot; (published in the Federal Register on February 27, 1969) shall not be considered to be, or serve as, a gross error determination and shall have no legal force or effect on the ownership of certain land surrounding Lake Bistineau in northern Louisiana. </p> <p>The meander lines recorded in the original survey of such land approved by the Surveyor General on December 8, 1842, shall be definitive for purposes of determining title to such land and two adjacent islands. </p> <p>The Department of the Interior shall prepare a disclaimer of any U.S. right, title, or interest in and to any such land that is located outside such meander lines and any omitted land that was in place, but not included, in the original survey. </p>

tv_txt: II 115th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1219 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 24, 2017 Mr. Cassidy introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To provide for stability of title to certain land in the State of Louisiana, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Lake Bistineau Land Title Stability Act . 2. Findings and purpose (a) Findings Congress finds that— (1) on December 8, 1842, the Surveyor General approved an original survey of land in northern Louisiana, which included the land surrounding Lake Bistineau; (2) under the equal footing doctrine, the State of Louisiana was entitled to the land underlying the navigable waters in place within the boundaries of the State as of the date on which the State joined the Union; (3) the State of Louisiana delineated the ownership of the land in the State based on the Original Survey; (4) in 1901, the State of Louisiana— (A) transferred more than 7,000 acres of land to the commissioners of the Bossier Levee District through Louisiana Act Number 89 of 1892; and (B) conducted a survey that followed the same path around Lake Bistineau as the path included in the Original Survey; (5) in 1904, the Bossier Levee District subsequently conveyed the land described in paragraph (4)(A) to private ownership; (6) parcels of the land described in paragraph (4)(A) were bought and sold in good faith based on the stability of the title to the land; (7) on September 16, 1967, the Bureau of Land Management submitted a resurvey of the land described in paragraph (4)(A) for S30–T16N–R10W and 2 adjacent islands, which presented a new line to represent what the Bureau of Land Management surveyors believed to be the contour of Lake Bistineau as of the date on which the State of Louisiana joined the Union; (8) on January 15, 1969, the Bureau of Land Management approved the Resurvey; (9) on February 27, 1969, notice of the filing of the Resurvey was filed in the Federal Register (34 Fed. Reg. 2677), but the Bureau of Land Management has presented no records of further notice provided to the affected landowners regarding— (A) the effects of the Resurvey; or (B) the right of affected landowners to contest the Resurvey; (10) on September 27, 2013, the Bureau of Land Management responded to an inquiry by certain owners of land subject to the Resurvey to inform the landowners that title to the land of the landowners would appear to be still vested in the United States ; and (11) there are estimated to be more than 200 acres of, and more than 50 residential homes located on, the land subject to the Resurvey. (b) Purpose The purpose of this Act is to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue a recordable disclaimer of interest of the United States in and to— (1) any land described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b) of section 4 that is located outside the record meander lines described in that subsection; and (2) any omitted land. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Omitted land The term omitted land means any land in S30–T16N–R10W, including adjacent islands and the meander lines of the water body, that was in place during the Original Survey, but that was not included in the Original Survey, regardless of whether the exclusion of the land was due to gross error in the Original Survey or fraud by any individual conducting the Original Survey. (2) Original survey The term Original Survey means the survey of land in northern Louisiana approved by the Surveyor General on December 8, 1842. (3) Resurvey The term Resurvey means the document entitled Dependent Re-Survey, Extension Survey and Survey of Two Islands, Sections 17, 29, and 30 , which was completed on November 24, 1967, approved on January 15, 1969, and published in the Federal Register on February 27, 1969 (34 Fed. Reg. 2677). (4) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior. 4. Legal status of Resurvey (a) In general The Resurvey— (1) shall not be considered to be, or serve as, a gross error determination; and (2) shall have no legal force or effect on the ownership of the land described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b). (b) Meander lines The meander lines in the Original Survey are definitive for purposes of determining title to— (1) the land in S30–T16N–R10W; and (2) the 2 islands adjacent to the land described in paragraph (1). (c) Disclaimer of interest (1) In general The Secretary shall prepare a disclaimer of interest in which the United States disclaims any right, title, or interest of the United States in and to— (A) any land described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b) that is located outside the recorded meander lines described in that subsection; and (B) any omitted land. (2) Filing The Secretary shall record the disclaimer of interest prepared under paragraph (1) in the appropriate local office in the State of Louisiana in which real property documents are recorded. (3) Inclusions The disclaimer of interest filed under paragraph (2) shall include legal descriptions of the land subject to the disclaimer of interest using the lot or tract numbers included in the Resurvey.

tv_txt: II Calendar No. 690 115th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 1219 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 24, 2017 Mr. Cassidy introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources November 29, 2018 Reported by Ms. Murkowski , with an amendment Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic A BILL To provide for stability of title to certain land in the State of Louisiana, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Lake Bistineau Land Title Stability Act . 2. Findings and purpose (a) Findings Congress finds that— (1) on December 8, 1842, the Surveyor General approved an original survey of land in northern Louisiana, which included the land surrounding Lake Bistineau; (2) under the equal footing doctrine, the State of Louisiana was entitled to the land underlying the navigable waters in place within the boundaries of the State as of the date on which the State joined the Union; (3) the State of Louisiana delineated the ownership of the land in the State based on the Original Survey; (4) in 1901, the State of Louisiana— (A) transferred more than 7,000 acres of land to the commissioners of the Bossier Levee District through Louisiana Act Number 89 of 1892; and (B) conducted a survey that followed the same path around Lake Bistineau as the path included in the Original Survey; (5) in 1904, the Bossier Levee District subsequently conveyed the land described in paragraph (4)(A) to private ownership; (6) parcels of the land described in paragraph (4)(A) were bought and sold in good faith based on the stability of the title to the land; (7) on September 16, 1967, the Bureau of Land Management submitted a resurvey of the land described in paragraph (4)(A) for S30–T16N–R10W and 2 adjacent islands, which presented a new line to represent what the Bureau of Land Management surveyors believed to be the contour of Lake Bistineau as of the date on which the State of Louisiana joined the Union; (8) on January 15, 1969, the Bureau of Land Management approved the Resurvey; (9) on February 27, 1969, notice of the filing of the Resurvey was filed in the Federal Register (34 Fed. Reg. 2677), but the Bureau of Land Management has presented no records of further notice provided to the affected landowners regarding— (A) the effects of the Resurvey; or (B) the right of affected landowners to contest the Resurvey; (10) on September 27, 2013, the Bureau of Land Management responded to an inquiry by certain owners of land subject to the Resurvey to inform the landowners that title to the land of the landowners would appear to be still vested in the United States ; and (11) there are estimated to be more than 200 acres of, and more than 50 residential homes located on, the land subject to the Resurvey. (b) Purpose The purpose of this Act is to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue a recordable disclaimer of interest of the United States in and to— (1) any land described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b) of section 4 that is located outside the record meander lines described in that subsection; and (2) any omitted land. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Omitted land The term omitted land means any land in S30–T16N–R10W, including adjacent islands and the meander lines of the water body, that was in place during the Original Survey, but that was not included in the Original Survey, regardless of whether the exclusion of the land was due to gross error in the Original Survey or fraud by any individual conducting the Original Survey. (2) Original survey The term Original Survey means the survey of land in northern Louisiana approved by the Surveyor General on December 8, 1842. (3) Resurvey The term Resurvey means the document entitled Dependent Re-Survey, Extension Survey and Survey of Two Islands, Sections 17, 29, and 30 , which was completed on November 24, 1967, approved on January 15, 1969, and published in the Federal Register on February 27, 1969 (34 Fed. Reg. 2677). (4) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior. 4. Legal status of Resurvey (a) In general The Resurvey— (1) shall not be considered to be, or serve as, a gross error determination; and (2) shall have no legal force or effect on the ownership of the land described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b). (b) Meander lines The meander lines in the Original Survey are definitive for purposes of determining title to— (1) the land in S30–T16N–R10W; and (2) the 2 islands adjacent to the land described in paragraph (1). (c) Disclaimer of interest (1) In general The Secretary shall prepare a disclaimer of interest in which the United States disclaims any right, title, or interest of the United States in and to— (A) any land described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b) that is located outside the recorded meander lines described in that subsection; and (B) any omitted land. (2) Filing The Secretary shall record the disclaimer of interest prepared under paragraph (1) in the appropriate local office in the State of Louisiana in which real property documents are recorded. (3) Inclusions The disclaimer of interest filed under paragraph (2) shall include legal descriptions of the land subject to the disclaimer of interest using the lot or tract numbers included in the Resurvey.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Lake Bistineau Land Title Stability Act . 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Claimant The term claimant means any individual, group, or corporation authorized to hold title to land or mineral interests in land in the State of Louisiana with a valid claim to the omitted land, including any mineral interests. (2) Map The term Map means the map entitled Lands as Delineated by Original Survey December 18, 1842 showing the 1969 Meander Line at the 148.6 Elevation Line and dated January 30, 2018. (3) Omitted land (A) In general The term omitted land means the land in lots 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 of sec. 30, T. 16 N., R. 10 W., Louisiana Meridian, comprising a total of approximately 229.72 acres, as depicted on the Map, that— (i) was in place during the Original Survey; but (ii) was not included in the Original Survey. (B) Inclusion The term omitted land includes— (i) Peggy's Island in lot 1 of sec. 17, T. 16 N., R. 10 W., Louisiana Meridian; and (ii) Hog Island in lot 1 of sec. 29 , T. 16 N., R. 10 W., Louisiana Meridian. (4) Original survey The term Original Survey means the survey of land surrounding Lake Bistineau, Louisiana, conducted by the General Land Office in 1838 and approved by the Surveyor General on December 8, 1842. (5) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior. 3. Conveyances (a) In general Consistent with the first section of the Act of December 22, 1928 (commonly known as the “Color of Title Act”) (45 Stat. 1069, chapter 47; 43 U.S.C. 1068 ), except as provided by this Act, the Secretary shall convey to the claimant the omitted land, including any mineral interests, that has been held in good faith and in peaceful, adverse possession by a claimant or an ancestor or grantor of the claimant, under claim or color of title, based on the Original Survey. (b) Confirmation of title The conveyance or patent of omitted land to a claimant under subsection (a) shall have the effect of confirming title to the surface and minerals in the claimant and shall not serve as any admission by a claimant. 4. Payment of costs (a) In general Except as provided in subsection (b), the conveyance required under section 3 shall be without consideration. (b) Exception Before the conveyance of the omitted land under section 3, the claimant shall pay to the Secretary any costs incurred by the Secretary relating to any survey, platting, legal description, or associated activities required to prepare and issue a patent under that section. 5. Map and legal description As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file, and make available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land and Management, the Map and legal descriptions of the omitted land to be conveyed under section 3.

November 29, 2018 Reported with an amendment