To require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey a parcel of property of the Forest Service to Perry County, Arkansas, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedMr. Boozman, from the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill directs the U.S. Forest Service to transfer 0.81 acres of federal land in Perryville, Arkansas to Perry County at no cost. The land, located at 1069 Fourche Avenue, must be used for public purposes like education and youth programs. If the county stops using the property for these purposes, it goes back to the federal government.
Who Benefits and How
Perry County, Arkansas benefits by receiving free federal land that it can use for educational and youth development programs, avoiding land acquisition costs that could run into thousands of dollars. Local education and youth organizations gain access to county-owned facilities without the county having to purchase property. Environmental consulting firms and land surveyors also benefit because the county must hire them to conduct required environmental reviews, historic preservation assessments, and property surveys before the transfer can be completed.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Perry County must pay all costs associated with the land transfer, including surveys, environmental analyses, and historic preservation reviews - potentially costing tens of thousands of dollars. The U.S. Forest Service loses ownership and control of 0.81 acres of federal land without receiving any payment in return. However, the Forest Service benefits from being explicitly exempted from providing environmental warranties or liability protections under federal hazardous waste laws (CERCLA), reducing its potential legal exposure.
Key Provisions
- Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to convey 0.81 acres of Forest Service land to Perry County within 180 days of the county's written request
- Transfer is free (no payment required), but the county pays all transaction costs including surveys and environmental assessments
- Property must be used only for public purposes such as education and youth development programs
- The federal government retains the right to take the property back if it stops being used for approved public purposes
- Exempts the Forest Service from providing environmental liability warranties normally required under federal hazardous waste cleanup laws
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Convey approximately 0.81 acres of Forest Service land in Perryville, Arkansas to Perry County, Arkansas for public purposes supporting education and youth development
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Transfer federal land to local government at no cost for community benefit purposes"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Perry County, Arkansas
- Local education and youth development organizations
Likely Burden Bearers
- Perry County (must pay survey and environmental analysis costs)
- Federal government (loses property rights)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_county"
- → Perry County, Arkansas
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Perry County, Arkansas
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service
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