Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 98 Part 3.djvu/754

 98 STAT. 3126

PUBLIC LAW 98-592—OCT. 30, 1984

Public Law 98-592 98th Congress An Act Oct. 30, 1984 [H.R. 5716]

Providing for the conveyance of public lands, Seneca County, Ohio.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, the Secretary of the Interior, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in sections 1-5 of this Act, may convey public lands in section 16, township 3 north, range 16 east, first principal meridian, Seneca County, Ohio, to citizens of the United States that claam title in good faith and in peaceful, adverse possession. SfiCiiiON 1. The Secretary shall determine that such conveyance is in the public interest and will serve objectives which outweigh all public objectives and values which would be served by retaining such lands in Federal ownership and shall also determine that no other statutory authority exists whereby the Secretary may afford the appropriate relief SEC. 2. The Secretary may sell public land on a direct basis to a purported current title holder of record as evidenced by documents duly recorded in local government or State government offices. The Secretary shall appraise the land applied for on the basis of its fair market value at the time of appraisal. From this amount, the Secretary shall deduct the value of improvements or development by the applicant or his predecessors in interest in determining the price payable by the applicant. The Secretary may further discount the price payable beised upon the equities of the applicant. Such equities may include but are not limited to: (a) the amount the applicant paid for the land, (b) length of time of chain of title, (c) longevity of the applicant's claim, and (d) payment of taxes on the land. SEC. 3. Lands conveyed under this Act shall be described in accordance with the rectangular system of survey as reflected on the Federal plat of survey. In the event that an individual tract does not

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