[DOCID: f:hr629.109]
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109th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 109-629
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SOUTHERN NEVADA READINESS CENTER ACT
_______
September 6, 2006.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Pombo, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 4382]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill
(H.R. 4382) to provide for the conveyance of certain land in
Clark County, Nevada, for use by the Nevada National Guard,
having considered the same, report favorably thereon without
amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of H.R. 4382 is to provide for the conveyance
of certain land in Clark County, Nevada, for use by the Nevada
National Guard.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
This bill would allow Clark County, Nevada, to convey 35-50
acres to the State and exempt it from the Southern Nevada
Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) that would normally
require the State to pay the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
85% of the value of the land. SNPLMA was intended to provide
receipts to the BLM if and when the former BLM lands were sold
by the County. The bill is supported by the Nevada delegation,
the State, and Clark County.
Since the 1990s, BLM, Clark County, and the State of Nevada
have cooperatively managed roughly 5,000 acres around McCarran
International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. The land is managed
to be compatible with airport uses and to comply with noise
abatement laws. With the passage of the SNPLMA, the BLM lands
within the cooperative management area were conveyed to Clark
County, Nevada, with the caveat that if the land was ever sold
Clark County must give the BLM 85% of the proceeds to be used
to purchase more public land in the State of Nevada, or for
other stated public purposes. The State of Nevada would like to
build a National Guard facility (the Southern Nevada Readiness
Center) on some of this land and needs roughly 35 to 50 acres
to do so. Clark County would like to convey this land to the
State for free, but is limited by SNPLMA. H.R. 4382 would
simply allow Clark County to convey this land to the State, and
would exempt them from SNPLMA.
The Southern Nevada Readiness Center would likely serve as
the new Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team for
Nevada. Currently, National Guard units in Las Vegas must serve
and operate from locations spread over 25 miles. The facility
would also help to protect the airport and the City of Las
Vegas against potential terrorist attacks.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 4382 was introduced on November 17, 2005, by
Congressman Jon Porter (R-NV). The bill was referred to the
Committee on Resources, and within the Committee to the
Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health. On March 9, 2006,
the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On July 19, 2006,
the Full Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The
Subcommittee was discharged from further consideration of the
bill by unanimous consent. No amendments were offered and the
bill was ordered favorably reported to the House of
Representatives by a unanimous consent.
COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee on Resources' oversight findings and recommendations
are reflected in the body of this report.
CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT
Article IV, section 3, clause 2, and Article I, section 8,
clause 3 of the Constitution of the United States grant
Congress the authority to enact this bill.
COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII
1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B)
of that rule provides that this requirement does not apply when
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
2. Congressional Budget Act. As required by clause 3(c)(2)
of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this
bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in
revenues or tax expenditures.
3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. This bill does
not authorize funding and therefore, clause 3(c)(4) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives does not
apply.
4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. Under clause
3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives and section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate
for this bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office:
H.R. 4382--Southern Nevada Readiness Center Act
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4382 would not
significantly affect the federal budget. Under the Southern
Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA), the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) conveyed certain federal land to Clark County,
Nevada. That act specifies that, if the county ever conveys the
land it must charge fair market value and give a portion of the
proceeds to BLM. The agency could use such proceeds, without
further appropriation, to acquire environmentally sensitive
property and complete certain projects in Nevada.
H.R. 4382 would authorize Clark County to convey to the
state of Nevada, for no consideration, between 35 and 50 acres
of land originally conveyed to the county under SNPLMA. The
state would likely establish a National Guard facility on any
land it receives under the bill. Based on information from BLM,
CBO expects that the county would not sell the affected land
under current law; therefore, we estimate it would generate no
significant receipts (or subsequent direct spending) over the
next 10 years. We also estimate that the bill would not affect
federal costs for land management, which are subject to
appropriation.
H.R. 4382 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
Enacting this bill would benefit the state of Nevada and Clark
County.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Megan Carroll.
This estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW
This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or
tribal law.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing
law.
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