Rep. Paul Gosar’s Legislation to Protect Property Rights Passes U.S. House of Representatives
WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 18, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation, the Mountainaire Relief Bill (H.R. 862), introduced by U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar, D.D.S (R-AZ) and Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ), with a vote of 395-1. This legislation settles a federal land boundary dispute by correcting a decades-old surveying error that put part of some people’s private property inside the boundaries of the Coconino National Forest.
Rep. Gosar issued the following statement:
“I find it frustrating, yet emblematic of the current state of affairs, that it has taken years and an act of Congress to correct a survey error. Fortunately, after today’s vote, we are closer to correcting a wrong and removing an unfair burden from affected Arizonans.”
Before final passage, Rep. Gosar took to the House floor and urged his colleagues to support H.R.862.
Click HERE or below to watch video of the floor speech.
In November 2007, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) completed a land survey in the Mountainaire subdivision of Coconino County, Arizona and found that a previous survey completed in 1960 misidentified United States Forest Service (USFS) property as private property. Questions associated with the land ownership have harmed property values in the neighborhood and prevented a number of owners from selling their homes. H.R. 862 would authorize the sale of the land to the homeowners to firmly establish these homeowners’ rights to property they have developed and paid taxes on for years.
Contact:
Orlando Watson
Orlando.Watson (at) mail.house (dot) gov
