To transfer administrative jurisdiction over certain parcels of federal land in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and for other purposes.

Bill Number

H.R. 6062

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Public Lands and Natural Resources

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2026-03-11: Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.

Last Updated

2026-05-16T08:07:15Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

This bill (H.R. 6062) aims to transfer administrative control—meaning the authority to manage and use—over specific federal land parcels in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, between two federal agencies: the Department of the Interior (DOI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The goal is to better align land use with agency needs, supporting CBP's training operations while expanding a national historical park, without any financial exchange between agencies.

Key Provisions

• Transfer from DOI to CBP: Approximately 25 acres of federal land, shown as "Area to be Transferred to CBP" on a specified map, will shift from DOI control to CBP. This land will become part of CBP's Advanced Training Center (a facility for border security training) and will be removed from the boundaries of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
• Transfer from CBP to DOI: Approximately 71.51 acres, shown as "Area to be Transferred to NPS" on the map, will move from CBP to DOI. This land will be added to and managed as part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (the "Park"), with park boundaries adjusted accordingly.
• No Cost Involved: The transfers occur without any payment or other compensation between the agencies.
• Reversion Clause: If CBP no longer needs the transferred land (or part of it) for its training center, control automatically returns to DOI, which will then include it in the Park and adjust boundaries.
• Survey and Adjustments: CBP must conduct a professional survey to confirm the exact size and legal description of the land transferred to it. Minor errors in maps or descriptions can be corrected in consultation with DOI, and the final survey must be shared with DOI.
• Boundary Exception: An existing law limiting the Park's total acreage (from a 1944 act) will not apply to these transfers or any reverted land.
• Definitions: The bill defines key terms, including the map (a 2021 National Park Service document), "Commissioner" (head of CBP), "Park" (Harpers Ferry National Historical Park), and "Secretary" (head of DOI).

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Modifies the boundaries of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park by excluding the 25 acres transferred to CBP and including the 71.51 acres from CBP, effectively increasing the Park's protected area net of the exclusion.
• Overrides the acreage cap in the 1944 Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Act (16 U.S.C. 450bb(d)), allowing these boundary changes without adhering to prior size limits.
• Establishes a new reversion process for the CBP land, ensuring it returns to park use if no longer needed for training, which adds flexibility not explicitly detailed in prior laws.

Potential Impacts

• Government Agencies: DOI's National Park Service (NPS) gains more land for historical preservation and public access, potentially enhancing educational and recreational opportunities. CBP receives dedicated space for its Advanced Training Center, improving border security training without needing new land acquisitions. This could streamline operations for both but requires coordination on surveys and boundary updates.
• Citizens: Local residents and visitors in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, may see expanded park areas for tourism and history (benefiting the area's economy, which relies on heritage sites), while CBP's use of the 25 acres could increase federal training activities nearby, possibly affecting local traffic or noise temporarily.
• International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic land management and U.S. border training unrelated to foreign affairs.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Federal Agencies: Department of the Interior (including NPS, which manages the Park) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (under the Department of Homeland Security).
• Local Community: Residents, businesses, and tourists in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, who interact with the Park for recreation, education, or economic reasons.
• Congressional Sponsors: Representatives from West Virginia (Moore and Miller) and Nevada (Amodei) and Idaho (Simpson), indicating regional interests in preservation and security training.
• Broader Public: History enthusiasts, environmental groups, and taxpayers, as the transfers optimize federal land use without additional costs.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: The bill ensures clear administrative transfers under federal property laws, with built-in safeguards like surveys and reversion to prevent misuse. It amends existing park statutes without broader environmental reviews, assuming the map-based descriptions suffice for legal boundaries.
• Constitutional: No significant issues, as it involves internal federal land management under Congress's property clause authority (Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution), respecting agency jurisdictions without infringing on states or individuals.
• Political: Sponsored by bipartisan members with ties to the affected region, it balances national security (CBP training) and cultural preservation (Park expansion). Referred to multiple committees (Natural Resources, Homeland Security, Ways and Means), it highlights inter-agency coordination needs, potentially setting a precedent for similar no-cost land swaps in other federal sites.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Moore, Riley M. [R-WV-2]

Cosponsors (3)

Rep. Miller, Carol D. [R-WV-1], Rep. Amodei, Mark E. [R-NV-2], Rep. Simpson, Michael K. [R-ID-2]

Recent Actions

• 2026-03-11: Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.
• 2025-11-18: Referred to the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement.
• 2025-11-17: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Homeland Security, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2025-11-17: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Homeland Security, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2025-11-17: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Homeland Security, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2025-11-17: Introduced in House
• 2025-11-17: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• To transfer administrative jurisdiction over certain parcels of federal land in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and for other purposes. — issued 2025-11-17 — PDF (4 pages)