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H.R. 304House116th Congress (2019-2021)In Committee

La Paz County Land Conveyance Act

Sponsored by Paul A. GosarRep. Paul A. Gosar (R-AZ)
Introduced January 8, 2019

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 14, 2026 at 12:04 AM UTC

The La Paz County Land Conveyance Act authorizes the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to transfer roughly 5,935 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in Arizona to La Paz County. The county must request the transfer, pay the fair‑market price, and follow conditions that protect existing rights, cultural resources, and tribal artifacts. The land will be removed from mining and mineral‑leasing laws, and any sale proceeds will go to a federal land‑disposal fund.

Key Provisions

  • The Secretary must convey the specified federal land to La Paz County once the county requests it.
  • The county must pay the fair market value, determined by a professional appraisal, and cover all related costs (surveys, appraisals, etc.).
  • The conveyance is subject to existing rights and may exclude any parcels with significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational resources.
  • The county (and any future owners) must protect tribal artifacts, coordinate with the Colorado River Indian Tribes, and allow reburying of discovered items.
  • The land is withdrawn from mining and mineral‑leasing statutes.
  • A map of the land will be publicly available, and minor boundary adjustments or map corrections can be made by mutual agreement.
  • Proceeds from any sale of the land are deposited into the Federal Land Disposal Account for use under the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act.

Legislative Activity

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2 earlier actions
HouseCommittee Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.

Federal Lands Subcommittee

February 5, 2019

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

January 8, 2019

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

January 8, 2019

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.

Federal Lands Subcommittee

February 5, 2019

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued January 8, 2019

I

116th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 304

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 8, 2019

Mr. Gosar (for himself, Mrs. Kirkpatrick, Mrs. Lesko, Mr. Schweikert, Mr. Stanton, Mr. Biggs, and Mr. Gallego) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

A BILL

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to La Paz County, Arizona, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the La Paz County Land Conveyance Act of 2019.

2.

Definitions

In this Act:

(1)

County

The term County means La Paz County, Arizona.

(2)

Federal land

The term Federal land means the approximately 5,935 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and designated as Federal land to be conveyed on the map.

(3)

Map

The term map means the map prepared by the Bureau of Land Management entitled Proposed La Paz County Land Conveyance and dated October 1, 2018.

(4)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.

3.

Conveyance to La Paz County, Arizona

(a)

In general

Notwithstanding the planning requirement of sections 202 and 203 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712, 1713) and in accordance with this section and other applicable law, as soon as practicable after receiving a request from the County to convey the Federal land, the Secretary shall convey the Federal land to the County.

(b)

Restrictions on conveyance

(1)

In general

The conveyance under subsection (a) shall be subject to—

(A)

valid existing rights; and

(B)

such terms and conditions as the Secretary determines to be necessary.

(2)

Exclusion

The Secretary shall exclude from the conveyance under subsection (a) any Federal land that contains significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational resources.

(c)

Payment of fair market value

The conveyance under subsection (a) shall be for the fair market value of the Federal land to be conveyed, as determined—

(1)

in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); and

(2)

based on an appraisal that is conducted in accordance with—

(A)

the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions; and

(B)

the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.

(d)

Protection of Tribal cultural artifacts

As a condition of the conveyance under subsection (a), the County shall, and as a condition of any subsequent conveyance, any subsequent owner shall—

(1)

make good faith efforts to avoid disturbing Tribal artifacts;

(2)

minimize impacts on Tribal artifacts if they are disturbed;

(3)

coordinate with the Colorado River Indian Tribes Tribal Historic Preservation Office to identify artifacts of cultural and historic significance; and

(4)

allow Tribal representatives to rebury unearthed artifacts at or near where the artifacts were discovered.

(e)

Availability of map

(1)

In general

The map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land Management.

(2)

Corrections

The Secretary and the County may, by mutual agreement—

(A)

make minor boundary adjustments to the Federal land to be conveyed under subsection (a); and

(B)

correct any minor errors in the map, an acreage estimate, or the description of the Federal land.

(f)

Withdrawal

The Federal land is withdrawn from the operation of the mining and mineral leasing laws of the United States.

(g)

Costs

As a condition of the conveyance of the Federal land under subsection (a), the County shall pay—

(1)

an amount equal to the appraised value determined in accordance with subsection (c)(2); and

(2)

all costs related to the conveyance, including all surveys, appraisals, and other administrative costs associated with the conveyance of the Federal land to the County under subsection (a).

(h)

Proceeds from the sale of land

The proceeds from the sale of land under this section shall be—

(1)

deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account established by section 206(a) of the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (43 U.S.C. 2305(a)); and

(2)

used in accordance with that Act (43 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.).