Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 97.djvu/986

 97 STAT. 954 PUBLIC LAW 98-146—NOV. 4, 1983 43 USC 869 et seq. 40 USC 490. 16 USC 396f. 16 USC 396d. Landowner's surplus property account. 40 USC 471 note. Notification of transfer. Land conveyance. sional Record: Provided, That neither the Act of July 31, 1958, as amended (72 Stat. 438, as amended; 7 U.S.C. 1012a; 16 U.S.C. 478a) nor the Act of June 14, 1926, as amended (49 U.S.C. 869 et seq.) shall be subject to the provisions of this section. SEC. 315. No part of any appropriation contained in, or funds made available by this Act, shall be available for any agency to pay to the Administrator of the General Services Administration a rate per square foot for rental of space and services (established pursuant to section 210(j) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended) which is in excess of 14 per centum higher than the rate per square foot established for space and services by the General Services Administration for the fiscal year 1982. SEC. 316. The Congress finds that the Forest Service's proposal of March 15, 1983, to consider six million acres of the national forest for possible sale has met with considerable opposition; and the national forests are an important part of the national heritage of the United States; and the national forests provide and protect important resources; and the national forests provide unique oppor- tunities for recreation; and it is inconsistent with past management practices to dispose of large portions of our national forests. It is, therefore, the sense of the Congress that it is not in the national interest to grant the authority to sell significant acreage of the national forest until such time as the Forest Service specifically identifies the tracts which are no longer needed by the Federal Government; inventories the tracts as to their public benefit value; provides opportunities for public review and discussion of the tracts; and completes all necessary environmental assessments of such sales. SEC. 317. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secre- tary of the Interior is authorized and shall seek to acquire the private lands described in section 505(a) of the Act of November 10, 1978 (92 Stat. 3467), by crediting a surplus property account, to be established in the name of each landowner, in the amount of the acquisition price for such landowner's lands. The National Park Service shall update the existing appraisals for the parcels and, based on the approved appraised values, shall negotiate with the landowners for acquisition prices. Each owner may, using such credits in his surplus property account, bid, as any other bidder for surplus property, wherever located, in accordance with the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949. The Administra- tor of the General Services Administration shall establish each landowner's surplus property account and shall adjust the credits in such accounts to reflect successful bids under this section. Title to the lands described in this section shall pass to the Government at the time of establishment of the surplus property accounts. The credits in any of the surplus property accounts may be transferred or sold in whole or in part at any time by the landowner to any other party, thereby vesting such party with all the rights of the landowner, and after such transfer, the landowner shall notify the Administrator of the transfer. At any time the Secretary may purchase the balance of any surplus property account subject to the availability of appropriated funds. SEC. 318. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secre- tary of the Interior (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the "Secretary") is hereby authorized to convey to Mitchell School District in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, all right, title, and inter- est, except as provided herein, to a tract of land consisting of 20

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