Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) complete environmental, cultural resource, and other due diligence activities on certain public land to confirm its suitability for inclusion in the Black Hills National Cemetery, South Dakota; and (2) notify the Department of the Interior of such activities.

After completion of such activities and upon receipt by Interior of written confirmation of suitability from the VA, the land shall: (1) be withdrawn from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining laws, the mineral leasing laws, and the geothermal leasing laws, for as long as it remains under VA administrative jurisdiction; (2) be deemed property; and (3) be transferred to the VA for use as national cemeteries.

(Sec. 3) Interior shall publish a notice containing the legal descriptions of such transferred land.

The VA shall reimburse Interior for reasonable transfer costs, including survey costs.

(Sec. 4) Upon a determination by the VA that all or a portion of such transferred land shall not be used for cemetery purposes, the VA shall: (1) notify Interior and transfer jurisdiction of the land back to Interior, and (2) be responsible for any decontamination costs necessary for restoration of the lands to the public lands.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov