ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Fifty-sixth Legislature Second Regular Session
	House: LARA DP 5-4-0-0

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HCM2004: federal land acquisition; acreage return

Sponsor: Representative Smith, LD 29

House Engrossed

Overview

Urges Congress to enact legislation that requires the federal government give to a state or county one acre of federal land for every acre the federal government reserves from the respective state or county.

History

Currently, all 15 counties in Arizona contain federal land. In the United States federal lands are typically exempt from state and local taxes, including property tax. Congress established the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program in 1976 to reimburse counties impacted by lost revenues due to nontaxable federal land. The federal government makes annual payments to local governments to compensate for reductions to their property tax base (Public Law 94-565).

In federal FY 2023, Arizona counties received a total of $43,501,616 from the Department of the Interior for the total of 28,132,256 acres of federal land (PILT-National Summary).  

According to the State Land Department, land ownership in Arizona is categorized as follows: 17.6% Private; 42.1% Federal; 27.6% Indian Reservation; and 12.7% State Trust (Arizona State Land Department).

Provisions

1. Urges Congress to pass legislation that requires the federal government to:

a) give an acre of land of equal or greater size to the county or state applicable for every                    acre of land acquired or reserved by the federal government; and

b) in the absence of land of equal or greater size, it must give land of a size and value as close as possible to the land acquired or reserved, along with payments to the county or state for the value of the difference.                                                                     

2. Directs the Arizona Secretary of State to transmit the memorial to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and each member of Congress from the state of Arizona.

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6.                   HCM 2004

7. Initials EB/LT     Page 0 House Engrossed

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