Bill Text: MS HC51 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Congress; urge to engage in communications and express support to western states, regarding the transfer of certain lands.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Failed) 2015-04-02 - Died In Committee [HC51 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2015-HC51-Introduced.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2015 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives DeBar, Staples
House Concurrent Resolution 51
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION EXPRESSING SUPPORT TO THE WESTERN STATES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE FEDERAL TRANSFER OF PUBLIC LANDS TO THE WESTERN STATES AND URGING THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO ENGAGE IN GOOD FAITH COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION TO COORDINATE THE TRANSFER OF TITLE TO SUCH LANDS TO THE WESTERN STATES.
WHEREAS, Article IV, Section 3, of the United States Constitution provides that Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States; and
WHEREAS, the Constitutional Convention intended this provision of the Constitution to maintain the status quo that had been established to transfer federal territorial lands only to create new states with the same rights of sovereignty, freedom, and independence as the original states; and
WHEREAS, under these express terms of trust, over time the states claiming federal territorial land ceded their western land to the confederated Union to allow the confederated government to dispose of the lands only to create new states and apply the net proceeds of any sales of the lands only to pay down the public debt; and
WHEREAS, the United States Constitution does not authorize the federal government to indefinitely exercise control over western public lands beyond the duty to manage the lands pending the disposal of the lands to create new states, and therefore, the lands should be returned to the western states; and
WHEREAS, in order to promote legitimate federal interests, the western states, upon transfer of the public lands directly to the state where the public land is located, should agree to affirmatively cede lands for the national park system, the national wilderness preservation system, and lands reserved for federal military use, military parks, and military reservations to the federal government under Article I, Section 8, Clause 17, of the United States Constitution, on condition that the lands permanently remain such designated lands and not be sold, transferred, left in substantial disrepair, or conveyed to any party other than the state where the land is located; and
WHEREAS, limiting the ability of western states to access and utilize the public lands' natural resources within their borders produces a negative impact upon the economy of the western states and, therefore, the economy of the United States; and
WHEREAS, in order to provide a fair, just, and equitable remedy for the federal government's past and continuing breaches of its solemn promises to the western states, the Mississippi House of Representatives and the Mississippi Senate deem it imperative to: (1) call on the federal government to transfer title to all federal public lands within the western states to the state where the land is located; (2) urge the Congress of the United States to engage in good faith communication, cooperation, and consultation with the western states to coordinate the transfer of the public lands, and support the western states in these efforts; (3) call upon the western states to agree, upon transfer of the public lands, to affirmatively cede to the federal government all lands currently designated as part of the National Park System under 16 United States Code Section l(a)(l), the National Wilderness Preservation System under 16 United States Code Section 1131, or for military use, military parks, or military reservations; (4) urge that if any public land in the western states is sold to private owners, the net proceeds must be paid to the Bureau of the Public Debt to pay down the federal debt; and (5) call on all other states of the United States to pass a similar resolution in support of the transfer of the federal public lands to the western states:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby express support to the western states of the United States of America and the federal transfer of public lands to the western states, and urge the Congress of the United States to engage in good faith communication and cooperation to coordinate the transfer of title to such lands to the western states.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That, upon its adoption, copies of this resolution be furnished to the United States Department of the Interior, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the members of the Mississippi Congressional Delegation and the Governors, Senate Presidents and Speakers of the House of Representatives of the forty-nine other states and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.
