congressional_record: CREC-2017-10-02-pt1-PgH7641
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
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| CREC-2017-10-02-pt1-PgH7641 | 2017-10-02 | 115 | 1 | UDALL PARK LAND EXCHANGE COMPLETION ACT | HOUSE | HOUSE | ALLOTHER | H7641 | H7642 | [{"name": "Glenn Thompson", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "A. Donald McEachin", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Martha McSally", "role": "speaking"}] | [{"congress": "115", "type": "HR", "number": "1547"}, {"congress": "115", "type": "HR", "number": "1547"}, {"congress": "115", "type": "HR", "number": "1547"}] | 163 Cong. Rec. H7641 | Congressional Record, Volume 163 Issue 157 (Monday, October 2, 2017) [Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 157 (Monday, October 2, 2017)] [House] [Pages H7641-H7642] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] UDALL PARK LAND EXCHANGE COMPLETION ACT Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1547) to provide for the unencumbering of title to non-Federal land owned by the city of Tucson, Arizona, for purposes of economic development by conveyance of the Federal reversionary interest to the City. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 1547 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Udall Park Land Exchange Completion Act''. SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: (1) City.--The term ``City'' means the city of Tucson, Arizona. (2) Non-federal land.--The term ``non-Federal land'' means the approximately 172.8-acre parcel of City land identified in the patent numbered 02-90-0001 and dated October 4, 1989, and more particularly described as lots 3 and 4, S\1/2\NW\1/ 4\, sec. 5, T.14S., R.15 E., Gila and Salt River Meridian, Arizona. (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior. SEC. 3. CONVEYANCE OF FEDERAL REVERSIONARY INTEREST IN LAND LOCATED IN TUCSON, ARIZONA. (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall convey to the City, without consideration, the reversionary interests of the United States in and to the non-Federal land for the purpose of unencumbering the title to the non-Federal land to enable economic development of the non-Federal land. (b) Legal Descriptions.--As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the exact legal descriptions of the non-Federal land shall be determined in a manner satisfactory to the Secretary. (c) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The Secretary may require such additional terms and conditions to the conveyance under subsection (a), consistent with that subsection, as the Secretary considers appropriate to protect the interests of the United States. (d) Costs.--The City shall pay all costs associated with the conveyance under subsection (a), consistent with that subsection, including the costs of any surveys, recording costs, and other reasonable costs. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. McEachin) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania. General Leave Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Pennsylvania? There was no objection. Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1547 completes the transfer of the Bureau of Land Management's reversionary interest in Udall Park, located in Tucson, Arizona, nearly three decades after the city donated $4 million worth of land to the Bureau of Land Management to complete their portion of the exchange. Twenty years after the exchange took place, the Bureau of Land Management threatened to invoke its reversionary interest because the city dared to hold a local farmers market in the park. The city of Tucson has invested millions of dollars in this community park, building swimming pools, recreation centers, and athletic fields, and it deserves to have clear title to the land and complete jurisdiction over the uses of the park. The bill is bipartisan and has nearly unanimous support from the Arizona congressional delegation. I urge adoption of the measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1547 transfers the reversionary interest associated with Udall Park to the city of Tucson, Arizona. The land was transferred to the city back in the 1980s under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act, a program that authorizes the conveyance of Federal land to local governments and nonprofits. These conveyances include what is known as reversionary interest, which stipulates that the land must permanently remain in use for a public purpose or ownership reverts back to the United States. Typically, if a recipient wants to convert the land to a nonpublic purpose, they have to compensate the Federal Government. However, this is not the typical situation. In 1989, Tucson came to an agreement with the Bureau of Land Management. In exchange for the title to Udall Park, the city gave the Bureau of Land Management a 297-acre parcel known as the Freeman Road property. [[Page H7642]] A letter from the BLM State Director at the time indicates that the agency supported elimination of Udall Park's reversionary interest in exchange for the Freeman Road property. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, Congress never followed through on that promise. This bill honors the Federal Government's long forgotten commitment, which is why we support it and encourage its swift adoption. The unique circumstances of Udall Park justify transferring the reversionary interest without further consideration or compensation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. McSally). Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, H.R. 1547, the Udall Park Land Exchange Completion Act. Udall Park is a cherished urban park in the heart of Tucson. The city has invested millions of dollars in park facilities, including construction of very large community recreation and senior centers, a large swimming pool, a walking track, and multiple athletic fields and picnic areas. In 2011, the mayor and city council approved a master plan update that calls for plans to invest even more money into the park by way of additional athletic fields and expanded recreational programming. However, unresolved disputes over this land have directly impeded the city from taking advantage of opportunities to supplement park funding, approve certain community events, or look to other commercial ventures like local farmers markets on small portions of the park that would benefit the city in general. The Udall Park Land Exchange Completion Act resolves this historic land exchange agreement between the city of Tucson and the Bureau of Land Management at Udall Park. In 1989, the city of Tucson and BLM entered into an agreement to exchange 297 acres of land adjacent to Saguaro National Park for 173 acres of BLM-owned land in northeast Tucson, now known as Udall Park. This agreement specifically outlined that the terms and conditions of this land conveyance would include a legislative fix to remove any and all encumbrances on Udall Park. Unfortunately, this legislation never came to fruition due to staff changes in multiple agencies in the city, and who knows what else, but as a result, the city has been prevented from utilizing Udall Park to its fullest extent. Recently, the issue came to a head over disputes on a small commercial lease located in Udall Park. Federal red tape should not stand in the way of communities like mine developing local parks. It is common sense. Udall Park is a beautiful place in our southern Arizona community to gather, but this longstanding land dispute has prevented the city of Tucson from improving the park and growing it to its full potential for too long. When I am out and about in my district and people come to me with challenges and issues like this, the first question I usually ask is: Does this literally take an act of Congress to fix? Let me say that again. Does this literally take an act of Congress to fix? In this case, the answer is yes. I appreciate, as we testified before the House Natural Resources Federal Land Subcommittee, the ranking member, Ms. Hanabusa, was saying, no kidding, in July: ``If it takes an act of Congress to get this done . . . then that's what we've got to do.'' I am with the ranking member at this point. It is time to finally take action and get this thing finished. My legislation would formally and finally complete a long overdue agreement on land that has already been exchanged at fair market value. The act directs conveyance of the Federal reversionary interest in Udall Park to the city, as the parties intended when the land exchange was made. This bill will allow Tucson to finally take full ownership of the park. In closing, I want to thank Chairman Bishop, Chairman McClintock, and the members of the Natural Resources Committee, really, on both sides of the aisle, for working with me to move this legislation forward. This has got strong bipartisan support. I look forward to seeing this issue through and ensuring the land transfer is completed. Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on this issue. I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1547. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it. Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. ____________________ |