Public Access and Lands Improvement Act
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Public Access and Lands Improvement Act - Title I: Santa Rosa Island Title Fairness and Land Preservation Act - Santa Rosa Island Title Fairness and Land Preservation Act - (Sec. 102) Authorizes Escambia County, Florida, at its discretion, to convey or dispose of all of its interest in any part of the property on Santa Rosa Island that was conveyed to it by the federal government pursuant to a specified Act and deed to any person or entity, free from any restriction on conveyance or reconveyance in such Act or deed.
Prohibits persons or entities holding a leasehold interest in such property from being required to involuntarily accept a fee interest in lieu of their leasehold interest.
Requires Escambia County within two years of enactment of this Act, to convey to Santa Rosa County, Florida, all interest held in any part of the property that falls within the jurisdictional boundaries of such county. Bars Santa Rosa County from being required to pay any sum for such property other than the actual costs associated with such conveyance.
Permits Santa Rosa County or any other person to which property is conveyed under this title to reconvey such property or any part of it.
Declares that leaseholders or owners of all properties under this title are free to pursue incorporation, annexation, or any other governmental status so long as all other legal conditions required for doing so are followed.
Declares further that each such property is under the jurisdiction of the county and any other local government entity in which it is located.
Requires that any proceeds from the conveyance of any property under this title by Escambia County or Santa Rosa County, other than direct and incidental costs associated with such conveyance, revert as windfall profits to the United States.
Directs Escambia County and Santa Rosa County to preserve in perpetuity those areas on Santa Rosa Island currently dedicated to conservation, preservation, the public, recreation, access, and public parking.
The summary continues for 40 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House amended" stage on February 6, 2014. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on February 10, 2014: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 113th Congress (2013-14), 296 of the 9,091 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.3 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Jeff Miller (R-FL) introduced it on August 1, 2013. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on August 1, 2013, 4788 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4595 days ago, on February 10, 2014.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 113th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2015 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers