A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain National Forest System land located in Franklin County, Mississippi, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill authorizes a quitclaim conveyance of roughly 137.7 acres and 173 acres of National Forest System land in Franklin County, Mississippi, tied to Okhissa Lake. The reported text requires completion of an appraisal and written agreement, conveys the surface estate to the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance, requires cash consideration at fair market value, reserves valid existing rights, and makes the Alliance responsible for Okhissa Lake Dam upkeep, spillway and water-control facilities, and federal and state dam-safety compliance.
Who Benefits and How
The Scenic Rivers Development Alliance benefits by receiving a path to acquire surface rights for Okhissa Lake rural economic development. Franklin County communities benefit from potential tourism, recreation, and economic-development projects around Okhissa Lake. Mississippi rural development officials benefit from local control over land that can support regional development plans. Recreation businesses benefit if transferred land supports visitor amenities and lake-area development. The Forest Service benefits from fair-market-value compensation and transfer of dam upkeep responsibilities.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Scenic Rivers Development Alliance must pay fair market value and assume upkeep, maintenance, compliance, and liability for Okhissa Lake Dam facilities. The Secretary of Agriculture must complete appraisal, survey, agreement, and quitclaim conveyance steps. Forest Service realty staff must determine exact acreage and legal descriptions and administer reserved rights. Local development sponsors must comply with federal and state dam-safety laws after the transfer.
Key Provisions
- Requires conveyance of specified National Forest System surface estate in Franklin County to the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance after appraisal and agreement conditions are met.
- Provides legal descriptions for approximately 137.7 acres and 173 acres near Okhissa Lake, with final acreage determined by a Secretary-approved survey.
- Requires cash consideration equal to fair market value under federal appraisal standards.
- Reserves valid existing rights and transfers dam upkeep, water-control-facility maintenance, safety-law compliance, and liability to the Alliance.
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
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the surface estate of specified Homochitto National Forest land around Okhissa Lake in Franklin County, Mississippi, to the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance for fair market value, with the Alliance assuming dam upkeep, safety-law compliance, and related liability.
Key Policy Areas
Public Lands, Rural Development
Primary Purpose
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the surface estate of specified Homochitto National Forest land around Okhissa Lake in Franklin County, Mississippi, to the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance for fair market value, with the Alliance assuming dam upkeep, safety-law compliance, and related liability.
Policy Domains
Bill provisions
Identified Gains
- Scenic Rivers Development Alliance
- Franklin County communities
- Mississippi rural development officials
- Recreation businesses
- Forest Service
Identified Costs
- Scenic Rivers Development Alliance
- Secretary of Agriculture
- Forest Service realty staff
- Local development sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReported by Mr. Boozman, with an amendment
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. …
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Reported by Senator Boozman …
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Ordered to be reported …
Introduced in Senate
Mrs. Hyde-Smith introduced the following bill; which was read twice …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, …
Mrs. Hyde-Smith introduced the following bill; which was read twice …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Forest Service, Forest Service realty staff, Secretary of Agriculture
Positive-direction: Forest Service
Negative-direction: Forest Service realty staff, Secretary of Agriculture
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "alliance"
- → Scenic Rivers Development Alliance
- "secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
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