Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 1860 - Modifying Federal Land Exchange Procedures

(House)
(Rep. Vento (D) Minnesota and 22 others)

While the administration supports the objective of H.R. 1860, to streamline procedures for Federal land exchanges, and has proposed a substitute bill to accomplish this goal, the administration opposes enactment of H.R. 1860. The bill would be counterproductive, making land exchange procedures more cumbersome and expensive in many cases. Moreover, its requirement for mandatory arbitration over assessed land values by non-Federal officials would violate the Appointments Clause of the Constitution.