Senate Joint Resolution No. 1–Committee on Natural Resources

FILE NUMBER........

Whereas, The Federal Government manages and controls

approximately 87 percent of the land in the State of Nevada, and in several

counties in the State of Nevada the Federal Government manages and

controls between 97 and 99 percent of the land; and

Whereas, Because the land managed and controlled by the Federal

Government in the State of Nevada is not taxable, counties that have an

extensive amount of such land located within their boundaries experience

tremendous fiscal burdens; and

Whereas, Congress enacted the Act of October 20, 1976, which, as

amended, is commonly known as the Payments In Lieu of Taxes Act, and

which requires the Federal Government to make annual payments to local

governments to compensate the local governments for the loss of revenue

they experience because of the presence of certain land within their

boundaries that is managed and controlled by the Federal Government; and

Whereas, Pursuant to the Act, the Secretary of the Interior is required

to make a payment for each fiscal year to each of the 17 counties in the

State of Nevada because those counties have such land within their

boundaries, including land that is administered by the Bureau of Land

Management, the National Park Service, the United States Fish and

Wildlife Service and the United States Forest Service; and

Whereas, The Bureau of Land Management was chosen by the

Secretary of the Interior to administer the payments required to be made

pursuant to the Act; and

Whereas, Congress appropriates money each year that the Bureau of

Land Management distributes to the counties in the State of Nevada and

other states pursuant to a statutory formula set forth in the Act; and

Whereas, From the inception of the payments in 1977 to the end of the

1997-98 fiscal year, the money appropriated by Congress has been

insufficient to provide full payment to the counties in the State of Nevada

pursuant to the statutory formula; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and Assembly of the State of Nevada,

Jointly, That the members of the 70th session of the Nevada Legislature

hereby urge Congress to appropriate for distribution to the counties in the

State of Nevada the amount of money necessary to correct the

underpayments to those counties pursuant to the Act for the previous fiscal

years; and be it further

Resolved, That in lieu of an appropriation by Congress to correct such

underpayments, the members of the 70th session of the Nevada Legislature

hereby urge Congress to authorize the transfer of land of equivalent value

from the Federal Government to the affected counties in the State of

Nevada; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate of the Nevada Legislature

prepare and transmit a copy of this resolution to the Vice President of the

United States as presiding officer of the United States Senate, the Speaker

of the House of Representatives, the Secretary of the Interior, the Director

of the Bureau of Land Management and each member of the Nevada

Congressional Delegation; and be it further

Resolved, That this resolution becomes effective upon passage and

approval.

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