HB1983

House Bill 1983 seeks to resolve long-standing land title ambiguities and restrictive conditions regarding property previously sold by the State of Arkansas to the Westark Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America (now the Natural State Council). The bill acknowledges that previous legislative attempts in 1973 and 1991 to convey this land were complicated by legal ambiguities, including conflicting acreage descriptions and questions regarding state agency authority. The primary purpose is to clear the title of the land, removing most conditions of use and rights of reverter that previously favored the State of Arkansas. The bill retains specific, defined restrictions and reverter rights on certain portions of the property, ensuring those specific tracts continue to be used for scouting, youth recreation, or cooperative public agency activities. Additionally, the bill mandates that the Commissioner of State Lands and the Board of Developmental Disabilities Services execute a quitclaim deed to finalize this transfer of interest to the Natural State Council of the Boy Scouts of America.