CS for House Bill 155(RES) - Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Exchange

• Authorizes the Department of Natural Resources to exchange approximately 18,313 acres of Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority land for approximately 20,645 acres of United States Forest Service land in Southeast Alaska.

• Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority shall pay all costs of the exchange, including land surveys, appraisals, environmental reviews, and federal agency staff expenses upon request of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

• Exchange shall occur in two phases, with land conveyed subject to reciprocal road easements for public access and conservation easements protecting the Ketchikan landfill, Forest Service research plots, and karst areas.

• Land values must be equalized through appraisals following federal standards; if values differ, parties may remove parcels, make cash payments, or both to achieve approximate equal value.

• Act becomes effective only upon: (1) passage of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Exchange Act of 2017 by the 115th U.S. Congress; (2) DNR determination by January 1, 2024 that the exchange serves the trust's best interests; and (3) Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority approval by January 1, 2024.