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![handle is hein.congrecreports/crptxagvq0001 and id is 1 raw text is: AUT-ENTICATED
US. GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION
GP
118TH CONGRESS REPORT
2d Session HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 118-844
REVERSIONARY INTEREST CONVEYANCE ACT
DECEMBER 10, 2024.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State
of the Union and ordered to be printed
Mr. WESTERMAN, from the Committee on Natural Resources,
submitted the following
REPORT
[To accompany H.R. 8946]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the
bill (H.R. 8946) to convey the reversionary interest of the United
States in certain land in Sacramento, California, having considered
the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and rec-
ommends that the bill do pass.
PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATION
The purpose of H.R. 8946 is to convey the reversionary interest
of the United States in certain land in Sacramento, California.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
During the 19th century, Congress granted many railroad rights-
of-way across public lands through the Pacific Railroad Acts., The
Supreme Court interpreted these Acts to grant land ownership to
railroad companies; however, if a railroad was not built or was no
longer used for railroad purposes, the land would revert back to the
United States.2 Courts also ruled that railroad companies lack the
authority to convey portions of these rights-of-way to third parties,
even if the remainder of the land is still used for railroad purposes.
Despite this consistent interpretation, several railroad companies
conveyed portions of lands within their rights-of-way. Unbeknownst
to the new landowners, the reversionary interest in these conveyed
properties encumbers what the landowners can do with their land.
In Sacramento, private owners of an 8.43-acre property within
the Sacramento Center for Innovation Specific Plan recently uncov-
ITitle Issues Raised by Railroad Right-of-Way in Sacramento, California, https://republicans
-naturalresources.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Summary Package for Matsui 1-cl.PDF.
2Id.
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