Description:
H.R. 6682 would require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service to provide written notification to any adjacent landowner when the federal government acquires or conveys an adjoining parcel of land. The bill also would direct BLM to notify adjacent landowners 30 days in advance of commencing a resurvey of federal land. Under the bill, if a resurvey resulted in land previously thought to be privately owned to be reclassified as federal land, the former owner would be given the right of first refusal to purchase the land or would be reimbursed for the fair market value of any improvements made to the land. According to BLM, implementing that provision would not change existing practices. In addition, using information from the agencies on existing public notification activities, CBO estimates that any additional costs to notify landowners under H.R. 6682 would be less than $500,000 over the 2019-2023 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Enacting H.R. 6682 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 6682 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029. H.R. 6682 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
