The Ranch A Consolidation and Management Improvement Act () is a bill that would require the federal government to transfer 10 acres of
federal lands in the
Black Hills National Forest to the state of
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
.
Wyoming would use the land to connect different, separated pieces of
Ranch A
Ranch A, near Beulah, Wyoming, was built as a vacation retreat for newspaper publisher Moses Annenberg. The original log ranch structures in Sand Creek Canyon were designed in the rustic style by architect Ray Ewing. The principal building, a ...
. The bill would also remove current restrictions placed on the land that prevents the foundation managing the site from some types of fundraising.
Currently, outside groups are not allowed to rent any of the property, which would change under this bill, increasing revenue.
Ranch A presently comprises , owned by the state of Wyoming.
It is managed by the Ranch A Restoration Foundation as an education center.
It was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1997.
The bill was introduced into the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
during the
113th United States Congress
The 113th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2015, during the fifth and sixth years of Presidency of Barack Obama, Barack Obama's presiden ...
.
Provisions of the bill
''This summary is based largely on the summary provided by the
Congressional Research Service
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a public policy research institute of the United States Congress. Operating within the Library of Congress, it works primarily and directly for members of Congress and their committees and staff on a c ...
, a
public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work
A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...
source.''
The Ranch A Consolidation and Management Improvement Act would direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), acting through the Forest Service, to convey to Wyoming, upon state request, without consideration and by quitclaim deed, all interest of the United States in approximately 10 acres of National Forest System land located in the Black Hills National Forest in Crook County, Wyoming.
The bill would repeal the requirement that Ranch A be used for: (1) fish and wildlife management and educational activities; and (2) maintenance and restoration of the museum-quality real and personal property there. It would repeal as well the reversionary interest of the United States in the property if the state of Wyoming uses it for any other purpose or develops the property.
Congressional Budget Office report
''This summary is based largely on the summary provided by the
Congressional Budget Office, as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on July 31, 2013. This is a
public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work
A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...
source.''
H.R. 1684 would require the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
to convey, without consideration, 10 acres of federal land to the state of Wyoming. Based on information provided by the agency, the
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that implementing the legislation would have no significant impact on the federal budget. Enacting H.R. 1684 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
The affected lands do not currently generate any receipts and are not expected to generate receipts over the next 10 years. In addition, the Forest Service does not have the authority to sell those lands under current law. Therefore, the CBO estimates that conveying the affected lands would not affect direct spending. Finally, because H.R. 1684 would require the state of Wyoming to cover the cost of surveying the affected lands, the CBO estimates that implementing the bill would have a minimal impact on discretionary spending.
H.R. 1684 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA''(pdf)https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-1995-title2/html/USCODE-1995-title2-chap25.htm (text)] restricts the federal government of the United States, federal imposition of unfunded mandates on ...
.
Procedural history
The Ranch A Consolidation and Management Improvement Act was introduced into the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
on April 23, 2013 by
Cynthia Lummis, Rep. Cynthia M. Lummis (R, WY-0).
It was referred to the
United States House Committee on Natural Resources and the
. The bill was reported by the committee on September 10, 2013 alongsid
House Report 113-198 On January 24, 2014, House Majority Leader
Eric Cantor announced the H.R. 1684 would be considered under a suspension of the rules on January 27, 2014.
Debate and discussion
Rep. Lummis spoke in favor of the bill arguing that her bill would help the financial situation of the Ranch. She also said that, "by also incorporating the Babcock House, we have an opportunity to make the Ranch whole under the ownership and stewardship of the State of Wyoming, where it belongs and where it will flourish. The State and Foundation have invested in and effectively managed Ranch A for years now; they don’t need the federal government looking over their shoulder to continue doing so responsibly."
See also
*
List of bills in the 113th United States Congress
*
Federal lands
Notes/References
External links
Library of Congress - Thomas H.R. 1684beta.congress.gov H.R. 1684GovTrack.us H.R. 1684OpenCongress.org H.R. 1684Congressional Budget Office's report on H.R. 1684House Republican Conference's Legislative Digest on H.R. 1684
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranch A Consolidation and Management Improvement Act (H.R. 1684 113th Congress)
Proposed legislation of the 113th United States Congress