16 U.S.C. § 484a — Exchange of lands in national forests; public schools; deposit of funds by school authority with insufficient exchange land; limitations on use

submitted 59 years ago by Pub. L. 90-171 to r/title-16-CONSERVATION · 263 words · no verdicts yet

in plain englishAI-generated · not legal advice

A school authority trading land for national forest land can pay cash if it lacks enough land. That money buys similar replacement land in the same state, which then follows the same rules. This applies only to trades of 80 acres or less that were already in use by January 1983.

When a state, county, or municipal government, or a public school district or other public school authority, proposes a land exchange under sections 485 and 486 of this title, or under other laws letting the Secretary of Agriculture exchange national forest or other Forest Service land, and that government or school authority does not have enough land to offer, the exchange can still be completed. It is completed by the government or school authority depositing money with the Secretary of Agriculture, covering part or all of the value of the land it is receiving in the exchange. That deposited money goes into a special fund in the Treasury. Once Congress appropriates it, the Secretary of Agriculture may spend it — until it is used up — to buy land in the same state, chosen because the Secretary determines it is suitable for the same purposes as the land received in the exchange. Land bought this way has the same legal status and follows the same laws, regulations, and rules as the land it replaces. This section applies only to exchanges of 80 acres or less to any one state, county, or municipal government, or public school district or authority. Land can be given to a state, county, or municipal government under this section only if that government was already using the land as of January 12, 1983. Land given this way can be used only for the purposes it was being used for before the exchange.

the actual law source: uscode.house.gov ↗public domain

Whenever an exchange of land is proposed by a State, county, or municipal government or public school district or other public school authority under sections 485 and 486 of this title or other authority under which the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to exchange national forest lands or other lands administered by the Forest Service, if the State, county, or municipal government or public school authority proposing the exchange has insufficient land to offer, the exchange may be completed upon deposit with the Secretary of Agriculture of a portion or all of the value of the selected land. Any amount so deposited shall be covered into a special fund in the Treasury which when appropriated shall be available until expended by the Secretary of Agriculture for the acquisition of lands in the same State as the selected lands and which are determined by him to be suitable for the same purposes as the selected lands. Lands so acquired shall have the same status and shall be subject to the same laws, regulations, and rules as the selected lands.

The provisions of this section shall not be applicable to the conveyance in exchange of more than eighty acres to any one State, county, or municipal government or public school district or other public school authority. Lands may be conveyed to any State, county, or municipal government pursuant to this section only if the lands were being utilized by such entities on January 12, 1983. Lands so conveyed may be used only for the purposes for which they were being used prior to conveyance.

Source credit: (Pub. L. 90–171, Dec. 4, 1967, 81 Stat. 531; Pub. L. 97–465, § 8, Jan. 12, 1983, 96 Stat. 2536.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

1967Enacted · Pub. L. 90-171 · 81 Stat. 531
1983Amended · Pub. L. 97-465 · 96 Stat. 2536

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 90-171 on 1967-12-04.

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