Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their support on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1554 is a straightforward bill, which Congressman Polis and I introduced, to reconfirm the private ownership of 140 acres of land in my congressional district. The lands concerned were patented into two private ownerships via the United States land patents issued in 1914 and 1917 and 1957, but their ownership has come into question by virtue of the 1949 government survey, which showed them to be national forest land rather than private land. Long-held U.S. law specifically states that a government resurvey cannot take away private property or private property rights. Mr. Speaker, the Forest Service and the private landowners of the Elkhorn Ranch only became aware of the potential title issue in the early 2000s. Thereafter, the Forest Service conducted a lengthy and thorough review of the matter. Upon the completion of the review, both the supervisor and surveyor of the White River National Forest concluded that the ownership of the 140 acres should be confirmed in the successors in interest to the original patentees, namely the Elkhorn Ranch.…”