Description:
H.R. 5923 would require the Forest Service to exchange, at the request of a private entity, four acres of federal land in the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas, for six acres of private land in that forest. Using information from the Forest Service, CBO estimates that under current law the land that would be conveyed by the agency will generate receipts from a special-use permit totaling about $4,000 over the 2019-2028 period. Because those receipts would not be collected under the bill, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5923 would increase direct spending by that amount. If appraisals indicate that the value of the federal parcel exceeds the value of the nonfederal parcel, the bill would require the private entity to provide a cash equalization payment to the Forest Service. Such payments are recorded as offsetting receipts, which are treated as reductions in direct spending. However, because CBO expects that the parcels would have a similar value, any such payment would not exceed $100,000, CBO estimates. H.R. 5923 would require the private entity to cover all administrative costs associated with the land exchange. Any land received by the Forest Service would be managed in accordance with existing authority to manage National Forest land. Because enacting H.R. 5923 would affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that any such effects would not be significant in any year. Enacting H.R. 5923 would not affect revenues. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5923 would not significantly affect net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029. H.R. 5923 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
