PRINTER'S NO. 2544
No. 426 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY M. O'BRIEN, J. TAYLOR, W. KELLER, CLYMER, SAYLOR,
BEYER, BIANCUCCI, COHEN, CRUZ, JOSEPHS, KORTZ, McGEEHAN,
McILVAINE SMITH, PETRI AND READSHAW, OCTOBER 2, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, OCTOBER 2, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Directing the State Government Committee of the House of
2 Representatives to investigate current leasing and conveyance
3 practices of the Department of General Services to ensure
4 that the department is properly and accurately valuating
5 Commonwealth land.
6 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth holds State lands in public trust;
7 and
8 WHEREAS, The conveyance of public lands is under the sole
9 authority of the General Assembly, requiring the passage of
10 enabling legislation; and
11 WHEREAS, The Department of General Services has been
12 entrusted with the valuation of State lands and the leasing of
13 said lands in accordance with standard real estate practices;
14 and
15 WHEREAS, The Department of General Services is required to
16 perform due diligence to ensure compliance with standard real
17 estate practices; and
18 WHEREAS, The Department of General Services, at the
19 instruction of the Governor, began an examination of fair market
1 value of riparian lands; and
2 WHEREAS, The General Assembly observed a 14-month moratorium
3 on riparian land conveyances at the request of the Governor; and
4 WHEREAS, The Department of General Services failed to conduct
5 a survey of riparian lands, defined as "the area between the
6 high and low water mark"; and
7 WHEREAS, As a result of the lack of a survey, the Department
8 of General Services has entered into leases and conveyances
9 which are undervalued due to an inaccurate measurement of the
10 land area; and
11 WHEREAS, The Department of General Services has assigned a
12 value of $5 per square foot to riparian lands; and
13 WHEREAS, The Department of General Services has failed to
14 protect the public trust by failing to accurately define a
15 riparian line along navigable waterways in this Commonwealth;
16 therefore be it
17 RESOLVED, That the State Government Committee of the House of
18 Representatives begin an investigation into the Department of
19 General Services' leasing and conveyance practices and determine
20 if the Department of General Services has violated the public
21 trust by undervaluing Commonwealth land; and be it further
22 RESOLVED, That the State Government Committee of the House of
23 Representatives be empowered with all the rights and powers
24 granted under House Rule 51.
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