Bill Text: NY S02775 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Establishes a right of first refusal in the state for federal public land to be transferred to private parties; prohibits the recording of any deeds for lands that have been transferred out of federal ownership to private ownership without giving the state the right of first refusal.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS [S02775 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S02775-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2775

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 24, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  SKOUFIS,  GOUNARDES,  KRUEGER  --  read twice and
          ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
          Investigations and Government Operations

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  public lands law, in relation to establishing a
          right of first refusal in the state for  federal  public  land  to  be
          transferred; and to amend the real property law, in relation to estab-
          lishing the manner in which documents regarding federal lands shall be
          recorded

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The public lands law is amended by  adding  a  new  section
     2  21-a to read as follows:
     3    §  21-a. Conveyance of federal lands. 1. For purposes of this section,
     4  the following terms apply:
     5    a. "Conservation plan" means a  habitat  conservation  plan  developed
     6  pursuant to section 10 of the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
     7  U.S.C.  Sec.  1539) and its implementing regulations, as the federal act
     8  and regulations exist as of the first of January, two  thousand  twenty-
     9  two.
    10    b.  "Conveyance"  includes  any  method,  including  sale, donation or
    11  exchange, by which all or a portion of the right, title, and interest of
    12  the United States in and to federal lands located in the state is trans-
    13  ferred to another entity.
    14    c. "Federal public land" means any  land  owned  and  managed  by  the
    15  United  States,  including the surface estate, the subsurface estate, or
    16  any improvement on those estates, which is owned and managed by the fish
    17  and wildlife service, the forest service and the national park service.
    18    d. "Infrastructure" means any development or construction that is  not
    19  on or appurtenant to the federal public land at the time of transfer.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05795-01-3

        S. 2775                             2

     1    2. a. Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, it is the policy
     2  of the state to discourage conveyances that transfer ownership of feder-
     3  al public lands in the state from the federal government.
     4    b.  (i)  Except  as  provided  in this section, conveyances of federal
     5  public lands in the state are void ab initio unless the commissioner  of
     6  general  services  was  provided  with the right of first refusal to the
     7  conveyance or the right to arrange  for  the  transfer  of  the  federal
     8  public land to another entity.
     9    (ii)  The  commissioner  of  general services may seek declaratory and
    10  injunctive relief from a court  of  competent  jurisdiction  to  contest
    11  conveyances  made  to any entity unless the requirements of this section
    12  are met.
    13    (iii) The commissioner of general services shall formally consider its
    14  right of first refusal or arrange for the  transfer  of  federal  public
    15  lands to a third party at a public hearing.
    16    (iv)  (A) Prior to the conveyance of federal public lands in state, if
    17  the commissioner of general services was  provided  with  the  right  of
    18  first  refusal  or  the right to arrange for the transfer of the federal
    19  public lands to another entity, the  commissioner  of  general  services
    20  shall issue a certificate affirming compliance with this section.
    21    (B)  The  commissioner  of  general  services shall waive its right of
    22  first refusal or the right to arrange for the transfer  of  the  federal
    23  public  lands to another entity, and issue a certification of compliance
    24  affirming compliance with this section for a conveyance that  is  deemed
    25  by  the  commissioner  of  general  services to be routine. A conveyance
    26  deemed by the commissioner of general services to be  routine  includes,
    27  but  is not limited to, the exchange of lands of equal value between the
    28  federal government and a private entity.  The  commissioner  of  general
    29  services  may  adopt regulations to establish a process and criteria for
    30  determining the types of conveyances it considers to be routine.
    31    (v) The commissioner of general services, and the department of  envi-
    32  ronmental  conversation  shall  enter into a memorandum of understanding
    33  that establishes a state policy that both agencies shall  undertake  all
    34  feasible  efforts  to protect against any future unauthorized conveyance
    35  or any change in federal public land  designation,  including,  but  not
    36  limited  to,  any  change in use, classification, or legal status of any
    37  lands designated as federal monuments pursuant to the  federal  Antiqui-
    38  ties Act of 1906.
    39    3.  The  state  shall not be responsible for any costs associated with
    40  conveyed federal public land that the commissioner of  general  services
    41  did  not  accept,  purchase, or arrange for the transfer of, pursuant to
    42  this section. Costs include, but are not limited  to,  management  costs
    43  and infrastructure development costs.
    44    4.  The  commissioner of general services may establish, through regu-
    45  lations or another appropriate  method,  a  process  for  engaging  with
    46  federal  land  managers and potential purchasers of federal public lands
    47  early in the conveyance process.
    48    5. The commissioner of general services shall ensure, for any conveyed
    49  federal public land the commissioner accepts, purchases, or arranges for
    50  the transfer of, that future management of the conveyed  federal  public
    51  land  is determined in a public process that gives consideration of past
    52  recognized and legal uses of those lands. At a minimum, the public proc-
    53  ess required by this subdivision shall include a noticed and open  meet-
    54  ing.
    55    6. The commissioner of general services shall waive its right of first
    56  refusal  or  the right to arrange for the transfer of the federal public

        S. 2775                             3

     1  lands to another entity, and issue a certification of compliance affirm-
     2  ing compliance with this section for any of the following:
     3    a.  The  conveyance of federal public lands pursuant to a conservation
     4  plan.
     5    b. The renewal of a lease in existence as of the first of January, two
     6  thousand twenty-two.
     7    c. The conveyance of federal public lands to  a  federally  recognized
     8  Native  American  tribe or lands taken into or out of trust for a Native
     9  American tribe or individual Native American.
    10    7. The provisions of this section are severable. If any  provision  of
    11  this  section  or  its application is held invalid, the invalidity shall
    12  not affect other provisions or applications that  can  be  given  effect
    13  without the invalid provision or application.
    14    8.  This section shall not apply to the sale of real property acquired
    15  by a federal agency through a foreclosure proceeding.
    16    § 2. The real property law is amended by adding a new section 291-k to
    17  read as follows:
    18    § 291-k. Recording of documents regarding federal lands. 1.  A  person
    19  shall  not knowingly present for recording or filing with a county clerk
    20  a deed, instrument, or other document related to a conveyance subject to
    21  section twenty-one-a of the public lands law unless it is accompanied by
    22  a certificate of compliance from the commissioner of  general  services.
    23  Further,  a  deed, instrument, or other document related to a conveyance
    24  that is subject to section twenty-one-a of the public lands law shall be
    25  titled "Federal Public  Land  Deed  of  Conveyance"  and  shall  not  be
    26  recorded   without  a  certificate  from  the  commissioner  of  general
    27  services. The federal agency wishing  to  convey  federal  public  lands
    28  shall  ensure that the deed, instrument, or other conveyance document is
    29  titled in the manner required by this section.
    30    2. A person who presents for recording or filing with a county clerk a
    31  deed, instrument or other document  in  violation  of  this  section  is
    32  liable for a civil penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars.
    33    3.  Civil penalties collected pursuant to this section shall be depos-
    34  ited into the general fund.
    35    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    36  it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition,  amend-
    37  ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
    38  tation  of  this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
    39  completed on or before such effective date.
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