Granting the consent of Congress to the Missouri-Nebraska Boundary Compact.
PL 106-101 (H.J.Res.54), enacted 11/12/1999

PUBLIC LAW 106-101—NOV. 12, 1999 
113 STAT. 1333 
Public Law 106-101 
106th Congress 
Joint Resolution 
Granting the consent of Congress to the Missouri-Nebraska Boundary Compact. 
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL CONSENT. 
The Congress consents to the Missouri-Nebraska Boundary 
Compact entered into between the States of Missouri and Nebraska. 
The compact reads substantially as follows: 
"MISSOURI-NEBRASKA BOUNDARY COMPACT 
"ARTICLE I 
"FINDINGS AND PURPOSES 
"(a) The states of Missouri and Nebraska find that there are 
actual and potential disputes, controversies, criminal proceedings 
and litigation arising or which may arise out of the location of 
the boundary line between the states of Missouri and Nebraska; 
that the Missouri River constituting the boundary between the 
states has changed its course fi*om time to time, and that the 
United States Army Corps of Engineers has established a main 
channel of such river for navigation and other purposes, which 
main channel is identified on maps jointly certified by the state 
surveyors of Missouri and Nebraska and identified as the 'Missouri-
Nebraska Boundary Maps', which maps are incorporated in this 
act and made part of this act by reference, and which maps shall 
be filed with the secretaries of state of Missouri and Nebraska. 
"(b) It is the principal purpose of the states of Missouri and 
Nebraska in executing the compact to establish an identifiable 
compromise boundary between the state of Missouri and the state 
of Nebraska for the entire distance thereof as of the effective date 
of the compact without interfering with or otherwise affecting pri-
vate rights or titles to property, and the states of Nebraska and 
Missouri declare that further compelling purposes of the compact 
are— 
"(1) to create a friendly and harmonious interstate relation-
ship; 
"(2) to avoid multiple exercise of sovereignty and jurisdic-
tion including matters of taxation, judicial and police powers 
and exercise of administrative authority; 
"(3) to encourage settlement and disposition of pending 
litigation and criminal proceedings and avoid or minimize 
fiiture disputes and litigation; 
"(4) to promote economic and political stability; 
Nov. 12, 1999 
[H.J. Res. 54] 
113 STAT. 1334 
PUBLIC LAW 106-101—NOV. 12, 1999 
"(5) to encourage the optimum mutual beneficial use of 
the Missouri River, its waters and its facilities; 
"(6) to establish a forum for settlement of future disputes; 
"(7) to place the boundary in a location which can be 
identified or located; and 
"(8) to express the intent and policy of the states that 
the common boundary be established within the confines of 
the Missouri River and both states shall continue to have 
access to and use of the waters of the river. 
"ARTICLE II 
"ESTABLISHMENT OF BOUNDARY 
"The permanent compromise boundary line between the states 
of Missouri and Nebraska shall be fixed at the center line of 
the main channel of the Missouri River as of the effective date 
of the compact, except for that land known as McKissick's Island 
as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States to be 
within the state of Nebraska in the case of Missouri v. Nebraska, 
196 U.S. 23, and 197 U.S. 577, all of which is identified on maps 
jointly prepared and certified by the state surveyors of Missouri 
and Nebraska and identified as the 'Missouri-Nebraska Boundary 
Compact Maps', incorporated in this act and made a part of this 
act by reference, and which maps shall be filed with the secretaries 
of state of Missouri and Nebraska. This center line of the main 
channel of the Missouri River between the states is also described 
in this act by metes and bounds on the 'Missouri-Nebraska 
Boundary Compact Maps' incorporated in this act by reference 
and made a part of this act. This center line of the main channel 
of the Missouri River as described on such maps shall be referred 
to as the 'compromise boundary'. 
"ARTICLE III 
"RELINQUISHMENT OF SOVEREIGNTY 
"The state of Missouri hereby relinquishes to the state of 
Nebraska all sovereignty over all lands lying on the Nebraska 
side of such compromise boundary and the state of Nebraska hereby 
relinquishes to the state of Missouri all sovereignty over all lands 
Ijdng on the Missouri side of such compromise boundary except 
for that land known as McKissick's Island which is identified on 
the 'Missouri-Nebraska Boundary Compact Maps' incorporated in 
this act by reference and made a part of this act. 
"ARTICLE IV 
"PENDING LITIGATION 
"Nothing in the act shall be deemed or construed to affect 
any litigation pending in the courts of either of the states of Missouri 
or Nebraska as of the effective date of the compact concerning 
the title to any of the lands, sovereignty over which is relinquished 
by the state of Missouri to the state of Nebraska or by the state 
of Nebraska to the state of Missouri and any matter concerning 
the title to lands, sovereignty over which is relinquished by either 
state to the other, may be continued in the courts of the state 
where pending until the final determination thereof. 
PUBLIC LAW 106-101—NOV. 12, 1999 
113 STAT. 1335 
"ARTICLE V 
"PUBLIC RECORDS 
"(a) The public record of real estate titles, mortgages and other 
liens in the state of Missouri to any lands, the sovereignty over 
which is relinquished by the state of Missouri to the state of 
Nebraska, shall be accepted as evidence of record title to such 
lands, to and including the effective date of such relinquishment 
by the state of Missouri, by the courts of the state of Nebraska. 
"(b) The public record of real estate titles, mortgages and other 
liens in the state of Nebraska to any lands, the sovereignty over 
which is relinquished by the state of Nebraska to the state of 
Missouri, shall be accepted as evidence of record title to such 
lands, to and including the effective date of such relinquishment 
by the state of Nebraska, by the courts of the state of Missouri. 
"(c) As to lands, the sovereignty over which is relinquished, 
the recording officials of the counties of each state shall accept 
for filing documents of title using legal descriptions derived from 
the land descriptions of the other state. The acceptance of such 
documents for filing shall have no bearing upon the legal effect 
or sufficiency thereof. 
"ARTICLE VI 
"TAXES 
"(a) Taxes lawfully imposed by either Missouri or Nebraska 
may be levied and collected by such state or its authorized govern-
mental subdivisions and agencies on land, jurisdiction over which 
is relinquished by the taxing state to the other, and any liens 
or other rights accrued or accruing, including the right of collection, 
shall be fully recognized and the county treasurers of the counties 
or other taxing authorities affected shall act as agents in carrying 
out the provisions of this article; provided, that all liens or other 
rights arising out of the imposition of taxes, accrued or accruing, 
shall be claimed or asserted within five years after the compact 
becomes effective and if not so claimed or asserted shall be forever 
barred. 
"(b) The lands, sovereignty over which is relinquished by the 
state of Missouri to the state of Nebraska, shall not thereafter 
be subject to the imposition of taxes in the state of Missouri from 
and after the effective date of the compact. The lands, sovereignty 
over which is relinquished by the state of Nebraska to the state 
of Missouri, shall not thereafter be subject to the imposition of 
taxes in the state of Nebraska from and after the effective date 
of the compact. 
"ARTICLE VII 
"PRIVATE RIGHTS 
"(a) The compact shall not deprive any riparian owner of such 
riparian owner's rights based upon riparian law and the establish-
ment of the compromise boundary between the states shall not 
in any way be deemed to change or affect the boundary line of 
riparian owners along the Missouri River as between such owners. 
The establishment of the compromise boundary shall not operate 
113 STAT. 1336 
PUBLIC LAW 106-101—NOV. 12, 1999 
to limit such riparian owner's rights to accretions across such 
compromise boundary. 
"(b) No private individual or entity claims of title to lands 
along the Missouri River, over which sovereignty is relinquished 
by the compact, shall be prejudiced by the relinquishment of such 
sovereignty and any claims or possessory rights necessary to estab-
lish adverse possession shall not be terminated or limited by the 
fact that the jurisdiction over such lands may have been transferred 
by the compact. Neither state will assert any claim of title to 
abandoned beds of the Missouri River, lands along the Missouri 
River, or the bed of the Missouri River based upon any doctrine 
of state ownership of the beds or abandoned beds of navigable 
waters, as against any land owners or claimants claiming interest 
in real estate arising out of titles, muniments of title, or exercises 
of jurisdiction of or from the other state, which titles or muniments 
of title commenced prior to the effective date of this compact. 
"ARTICLE VIII 
"READJUSTMENT OF BOUNDARY BY NEGOTIATION 
"If at any time after the effective date of the compact the 
Missouri River shall move or be moved by natural means or other-
wise so that the flow thereof at any point along the course forming 
the boundary between the states occurs entirely within one of 
the states, each state at the request of the other, agrees to enter 
into and conduct negotiations in good faith for the purpose of 
readjusting the boundary at the place or places where such move-
ment occurred consistent with the intent, policy and purpose hereof 
that the boundary will be placed within the Missouri River. 
"ARTICLE D
C 
"EFFECTIVE DATE 
"(a) The compact shall become effective on the first day of 
January of the year after it is ratified by the general assembly 
of the state of Missouri and the legislature of the state of Nebraska 
and approved by the Congress of the United States. 
"(b) As of the effective date of the compact, the state of Missouri 
and the state of Nebraska shall relinquish sovereignty over the 
lands described in the compact and shall assume and accept sov-
ereignty over such lands ceded to them as provided in the compact. 
"(c) In the event the compact is not approved by the general 
assembly of the state of Missouri and the legislature of the state 
of Nebraska on or before October 1, 1999, and approved by the 
Congress of the United States within three years from the date 
of such approval, the compact shall be inoperative and for all 
purposes shall be void. 
"ARTICLE X 
"ENFORCEMENT 
"Nothing in the compact shall be construed to limit or prevent 
either state from instituting or maintaining any action or pro-
ceeding, legal or equitable, in any court having jurisdiction, for 
the protection of any right under the compact or the enforcement 
of any of its provisions. 
PUBLIC LAW 106-101—NOV. 12, 1999 
113 STAT. 1337 
"ARTICLE XI 
"AMENDMENTS 
"The compact shall remain in full force and effect unless 
amended in the same manner as that by which it was created.". 
SEC. 2. RIGHT TO ALTER, AMEND, OR REPEAL. 
The right to alter, amend, or repeal this joint resolution is 
hereby expressly reserved. The consent granted by this joint resolu-
tion shall not be construed as impairing or in any manner affecting 
any right or jurisdiction of the United States in £ind over the 
region which forms the subject of the compact. 
SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION AND SEVERABILITY. 
It is intended that the provisions of this compact shall be 
reasonably and liberally construed to effectuate the purposes 
thereof. If any part or application of this compact, or legislation 
enabling the compact, is held invalid, the remainder of the compact 
or its application to other situations or persons shall not be affected. 
SEC. 4. INCONSISTENCY OF LANGUAGE. 
The validity of this compact shall not be affected by any 
insubstantial differences in its form or language as adopted by 
the two States. 
Approved November 12, 1999. , 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.J. Res. 54: 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 106-303 (Comm. on the Judiciary). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 145 (1999): 
Sept. 21, considered and passed House. 
Nov. 5, considered and passed Senate.