Reversionary Interest Conveyance Act

Floor Speech

I rise in support of the Reversionary Interest Conveyance Act, introduced by my colleague from the Sacramento area in California, Representative Matsui.

Her bill would allow for the conveyance of certain Federal Government claims associated with approximately 8.43 acres of land administered by the Bureau of Land Management in Sacramento.

It is currently encumbered by what is known as a reversionary interest, in this case dating back to the 19th century.

The original conveyance of the land from the Federal Government stipulated that it must be used for specific stated purposes or ownership would revert back to the United States.

Lands with reversionary interests like these have what is called a clouded title, which limits allowable uses and development.

In this case, the reversionary interests originate from the initial conveyance that provided public land for railroad purposes in the 19th century, but the land changed hands over the years, eventually without knowledge of this requirement.

The bill aims to clear up the land ownership issue by resolving the Federal Government's ownership claims on these parcels. Under the sale authorized by the bill, landowners would be given the opportunity to purchase the reversionary interests from the government so that they can pursue development or future conveyances of the land.

Importantly, this bill has standard conveyance language, including a requirement to sell the interest at fair market value, and the authorized conveyance is supported by the Department of the Interior.

This is a win-win for the government and the community in Sacramento. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. HUFFMAN. Matsui), the author of this bill.

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Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, this is a great bill. I urge my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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