Description:
S. 131 would require the Forest Service to convey up to 21,500 acres of federal land to the Alaska Mental Health Trust in exchange for up to 18,300 acres of land owned by the trust. Under the bill, the Forest Service would be required to complete the exchange at the request of the trust under the condition that the parcels to be exchanged are of equal value. If the parcels are not of equal value, the number of acres conveyed by the party with the higher valued land would be reduced. Any lands received by the Forest Service in the exchange would be managed for conservation purposes.
CBO expects that the land exchange would be completed in 2019. Based on an analysis of information from the agency, we estimate that under current law the lands that would be conveyed by the Forest Service will generate receipts from special use permits totaling roughly $200,000 over the 2019-2027 period. The agency has the authority to spend about 35 percent of those proceeds. The remaining proceeds, which CBO estimates would total less than $150,000, would be deposited in the Treasury. Because those receipts deposited in the Treasury would not be collected under the bill, CBO estimates that enacting S. 131 would increase direct spending by that amount. Therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. Enacting the legislation would not affect revenues.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 131 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits by more than $5 billion in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
S. 131 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would benefit the State of Alaska. The land exchange authorized in the bill could increase revenue from resource development on state trust lands; that revenue would be used to fund mental health services in the state. Any costs incurred by the State of Alaska associated with the land exchange or with agreements with the federal government would result from voluntary commitments.
