To provide for the sale of the Federal Government's reversionary interest in approximately 60 acres of land in Salt Lake City, Utah, originally conveyed to the Mount Olivet Cemetery Association under the Act of January 23, 1909.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests.

The hearing will be held on Thursday, October 8, 2009, at 2:30 p.m. in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills:

S. 522, to resolve the claims of the Bering Straits Native

Corporation and the State of Alaska to land adjacent to

Salmon Lake in the State of Alaska and to provide for the

conveyance to the Bering Straits Native Corporation of

certain other public land in partial satisfaction of the land

entitlement of the Corporation under the Alaska Native Claims

Settlement Act;

S. 865 and H.R. 1442, to provide for the sale of the

Federal Government's reversionary interest in approximately

60 acres of land in Salt Lake City, Utah, originally conveyed

to the Mount Olivet Cemetery Association under the Act of

January 23, 1909;

S. 881, to provide for the settlement of certain claims

under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and for other

purposes;

S. 940, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey

to the Nevada System of Higher Education certain Federal land

located in Clark and Nye counties, Nevada, and for other

purposes;

S. 1272, to provide for the designation of the Devil's

Staircase Wilderness Area in the State of Oregon, to

designate segments of Wasson and Franklin Creeks in the State

of Oregon as wild or recreation rivers, and for other

purposes; and

S. 1689, to designate certain land as components of the

National Wilderness Preservation System and the National

Landscape Conservation System in the State of New Mexico, and

for other purposes.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by email to allison_seyferth@energy.senate.gov.

For further information, please contact David Brooks at (202) 224- 9863 or Allison Seyferth at (202) 224-4905.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1442) to provide for the sale of the Federal Government's reversionary interest in approximately 60 acres of land in Salt Lake City, Utah, originally conveyed to the Mount Olivet Cemetery Association under the Act of January 23, 1909, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring to the House for its consideration this legislation sponsored by the gentleman from Utah, Representative Jim Matheson.

In 1909, Congress authorized the transfer of 60 acres of Federal land in Salt Lake City, Utah, to the Mount Olivet Cemetery Association for use as a public cemetery. The legislation contained a reversionary clause to the Federal Government if the land were not used for the purpose of a cemetery.

Today, in order to raise revenue to operate the cemetery, the Mount Olivet Cemetery Association hopes to sell 13 undeveloped acres of this parcel to an adjacent school, and it has requested that the Federal Government relinquish its reversionary interest.

This noncontroversial bill, which was favorably reported out of the Natural Resources Committee by unanimous consent, authorizes the conveyance of the reversionary interest to the association in exchange for appropriate consideration based upon a survey and appraisal of the property.

Mr. Speaker, Congressman Matheson has worked diligently on behalf of this legislation. The administration supports the bill, and I ask my colleagues to support its passage as well.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson) such time as he may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, and would inquire of the minority whether they have any additional speakers.

Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Well, first, I thank my colleague from Guam for recognizing me.

I am pleased to rise in support of this bill. You have heard the description of the bill, and if I could, I will just briefly point out what the repercussions are if we don't move this legislation.

This cemetery is a nonprofit entity. It has been around for about 100 years. It is suffering some financial distress in terms of its endowment. It has figured and has looked at choices for how it could maintain itself and create greater financial viability. The notion of selling off a piece of the land that's undeveloped will ensure the integrity of the cemetery for the future. If, in fact, this cemetery were to go bankrupt and if this nonprofit couldn't continue to maintain it, the land would revert back to the Federal Government. I do not think the Bureau of Land Management wants to be in the business of owning and operating a cemetery in Salt Lake City, Utah.

So here we have a situation that is based on legislation that occurred 100 years ago, and today, we're making a substantive solution to a problem that has developed since, and there is no harm to the taxpayer. This is a commonsense bill, but I've got to tell you something: while it sounds simple, it wasn't simple, and I really want to commend the Resources Committee staff for being so helpful in working through this issue to find the right way to get it done. It may have passed the committee by unanimous consent, but that does not mean it did not take a lot of work and effort to make the right decision. So I want to thank the committee staff so much. I want to thank Chairman Rahall and Subcommittee Chairman Grijalva.

I encourage the passage of this bill.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order for the Senate to proceed en bloc to consideration of the following calendar items: Calendar No. 261, S. Res. 297; Calendar No. 262, S. Res. 275; Calendar No. 287, S. 1053; Calendar No. 291, S. 1405; Calendar No. 295, H.R. 689; Calendar No. 297, H.R. 1121; Calendar No. 300, H.R. 1442; Calendar No. 305, H.R. 2802.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to en bloc; the preambles be agreed to en bloc; that the committee- reported amendments, where applicable, be agreed to; the bill, as amended, if amended, where applicable, be read a third time and passed, as amended, if amended, where applicable, en bloc; the motions to reconsider be laid on the table en bloc; that the consideration of these items appear separately in the Record; and that any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, 100 years ago, a parcel of Federal land in Salt Lake City was conveyed to the Mount Olivet Cemetery Association. H.R. 1442 directs the Secretary to accept an offer from the association to purchase certain reversionary interests in 60 of those acres. The bill requires the sale to be accomplished at no cost to the taxpayer and for the appraised value of the rights.

I support the bill because it reduces, although only by 60 acres, excessive Federal land holdings at a time when the Department of Interior is facing a multibillion-dollar maintenance backlog for the lands it already owns.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.