S. 502 would authorize the National Park Service (NPS) to acquire and integrate new lands into the Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota through land exchanges with the state and local governments that own land within or adjacent to the park’s boundaries. (Under current law, the federal government can only acquire lands from state or local governments through donation.)
CBO expects that the properties to be exchanged under S. 502 would be roughly equal in value. If the appraisals indicate that the parcels’ values are different, however, existing law requires that the party receiving the more valuable land provide a cash equalization payment. If the NPS were to acquire land of a higher value than the federal land exchanged, CBO expects that the NPS would make a cash payment. Based on information provided by the NPS, CBO expects that any costs to make any cash payment and to administer lands affected by the bill would not exceed $500,000 in any year; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting S. 502 could affect direct spending; therefore; pay-as-you-go procedures apply. Under the legislation, if the NPS were to acquire land of a lower value than the federal land exchanged, the NPS would receive a cash payment to equalize the values; any such payments would be recorded as offsetting receipts, which are treated as reductions in direct spending. Based on information from the NPS, however, CBO estimates that any such payment would not exceed $500,000 in any year. Enacting S. 502 would not affect revenues.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 502 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
S. 502 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
