University of Utah Research Park Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The University of Utah Research Park Act confirms the legal status of a specific Salt Lake City land use. It covers approximately 593.54 acres conveyed to the University of Utah under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act by patent 43-99-0012 dated October 18, 1968, including tracts D, G, and J with specified exclusions. The bill confirms that using the land as a university research park, as approved by the Secretary of the Interior's December 10, 1970 letter and later Interior-approved modifications to the plan of development and management, is a valid public purpose. It also confirms that related university uses, including student housing and a transit hub, are valid public purposes when consistent with research-park and related university purposes.
Who Benefits and How
The University of Utah, University of Utah Research Park tenants, university researchers, student housing developers, students seeking campus-adjacent housing, transit hub planners, Salt Lake City economic-development officials, and companies operating in the research park benefit because Congress removes legal uncertainty over the land's public-purpose status and validates Interior-approved plan modifications.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management land-record staff, parties challenging research-park uses, neighboring land-use opponents, local planners, and federal patent administrators must accept the confirmed public-purpose use, treat prior Interior approvals as valid, update or rely on land records for the 593.54-acre parcel, and lose leverage to argue that the research park, student housing, or transit hub violates the Recreation and Public Purposes Act conveyance.
Key Provisions
- Confirms the University of Utah research park use as a valid public purpose under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act.
- Validates Interior-approved modifications to the development and management plan before enactment.
- Provides that related university uses, including student housing and a transit hub, are valid public purposes when consistent with research-park purposes.
- Defines the covered 593.54 acres by patent number, 1968 conveyance date, tract descriptions, and exclusions.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Confirms that the University of Utah's use of about 593.54 acres conveyed under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act as a research park, and related approved uses such as student housing and a transit hub, is a valid public purpose under the original federal land conveyance.
Key Policy Areas
Education, Public Lands, Research
Primary Purpose
Confirms that the University of Utah's use of about 593.54 acres conveyed under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act as a research park, and related approved uses such as student housing and a transit hub, is a valid public purpose under the original federal land conveyance.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- University of Utah
- University of Utah Research Park tenants
- University researchers
- Student housing developers
- Students seeking campus-adjacent housing
- Transit hub planners
- Salt Lake City economic-development officials
Identified Costs
- Department of the Interior
- Bureau of Land Management land-record staff
- Parties challenging research-park uses
- Neighboring land-use opponents
- Local planners
- Federal patent administrators
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Passed HouseReceived in the Senate.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without …
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill …
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill …
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules …
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate …
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without …
Passed House (inferred from eh version)
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the …
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 246.
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "land"
- → approximately 593.54 acres conveyed by patent 43-99-0012
- "university"
- → University of Utah
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology