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Westerman Introduces Land Exchange Bill for Local Church

May 23, 2018

WASHINGTON – Yesterday (May 23), Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) introduced H.R. 5923, a bill which would facilitate an exchange of land between Walnut Grove Church in Jessieville and the U.S. Forest Service. The church and an adjacent cemetery currently sit on 4 acres of Forest Service land. This bill transfers the ownership of that land to the church, and in return, gives the Forest Service 6.3 acres of land adjacent to the Ouachita National Forest owned by the congregation.

"I introduced this bill to finally give Walnut Grove Church the ownership of the property on which its members worship," Westerman said. "The church has been a longtime tenant of the Forest Service and has sought a resolution to this issue for more than 20 years. The fact that it takes an act of Congress to exchange such small parcels of land simply illustrates how broken the federal government is. I support the church's efforts and look forward to the timely passage of this bill."