Opinion ID: 2194614
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The National Children's Island Act

Text: Responding to the difficulties created by overlapping federal and District regulations, the parties worked together to petition for Congressional action. In April 1995, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced H.R. 1508, the National Children's Island Act of 1995 (NCI Act), at the request of the District of Columbia. 141 CONG. REC. H11389 (1995) (statement of Del. Norton). The legislation would transfer ownership of the Islands from the federal government to the District of Columbia [i]n order to facilitate the construction, development, and operation of National Children's Island. . . . National Children's Island Act of 1995, Pub.L. No. 104-163, § 3(a), 110 Stat. 1416, 1416 (1996). Both NCI and the District of Columbia sent representatives to the Congressional hearing to testify in support of the bill. See National Children's Island Act of 1995: Hearing on H.R. 1508 Before the Subcomm. on National Parks, Forests and Lands of the H. Comm. on Resources, 104th Cong. (1995) (statements of Carroll B. Harvey, Chairman of the Planning Committee for National Children's Island, Inc., and Michael A. Rogers, City Administrator for the District of Columbia). The bill was enacted as the National Children's Island Act of 1995, Public Law Number 104-163, on July 19, 1996. The Act required the Secretary of the Interior, no later than six months after enactment, to transfer to the District by quitclaim deed all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the Islands. Id., § 3(a). The law also imposed some conditions on the transfer, including a reversion provision similar to the one in the Transfer of Jurisdiction: The transfer under subsection (a) . . . shall be subject to the condition that the Islands only be used for the purposes of National Children's Island. Title in the property transferred . . . shall revert to the United States 60 days after the date on which the Secretary provides written notice of the reversion to the District based on the . . . determination . . . that one of the following has occurred: (A) Failure to commence improvements in the recreational park within the earlier of (i) three years after building permits are obtained for construction of such improvements; or (ii) four years after title has been transferred, as provided in subsection (a). (B) Failure to commence operation of the recreation park within the earlier of (i) five years after building permits are obtained for construction of such improvements; or (ii) seven years after title has been transferred, as provided in subsection (a). (C) After completion of construction and commencement of operation, the abandonment or non-use of the recreation park for a period of two years. (D) After completion of construction and commencement of operation, conversion of the Islands to a use other than that specified in this Act or conversion to a parking use not in accordance with [the Act]. Id. at § 3(d), 110 Stat. at 1417-18. The District was required to carry out its review of the project in full compliance with all applicable provisions of NEPA. Id. at § 4(c), 110 Stat. at 1418-19. Finally, § 5 of the Act states: Upon the transfer of the Islands to the District pursuant to this Act: (1) The Transfer of Jurisdiction concerning the Islands from the National Park Service to the District dated February 1993 . . . shall become null and void and of no further force and effect. . . . Id. at § 5(a)(1), 110 Stat. at 1419. Pursuant to § 3(a) of the NCI Act, the Secretary of the Interior transferred title to Heritage Island and the affected portion of Kingman Island to the District of Columbia via quitclaim deed on January 16, 1997. The text of the deed reiterates the pertinent conditions on that transfer mandated by the NCI Act, including the reversion provisions and NEPA requirement discussed above.