[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3887 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3887

 To authorize the Secretary of Transportation to convey the vessel USS 
 SPHINX to the Rio Grande Military Museum for use as a military museum.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 23, 1994

  Mr. Ortiz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
               Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Secretary of Transportation to convey the vessel USS 
 SPHINX to the Rio Grande Military Museum for use as a military museum.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. AUTHORITY TO CONVEY VESSEL.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other law, the Secretary of 
Transportation may convey the right, title, and interest of the United 
States Government in and to the vessel USS SPHINX (ARL-24), to the Rio 
Grande Military Museum (a not-for-profit corporation, hereinafter in 
this Act referred to as the ``recipient'') for use as a military 
museum, if--
            (1) the recipient agrees to use the vessel as a nonprofit 
        military museum;
            (2) the vessel is not used for commercial transportation 
        purposes;
            (3) the recipient agrees to make the vessel available to 
        the Government when the Secretary requires use of the vessel by 
        the Government;
            (4) the recipient agrees that when the recipient no longer 
        requires the vessel for use as a military museum--
                    (A) the recipient will at the discretion of the 
                Secretary, reconvey the vessel to the Government in 
                good condition except for ordinary wear and tear; or
                    (B) if the Board of Directors of the recipient has 
                decided to dissolve the recipient according to the laws 
                of the State of Texas, then--
                            (i) the recipient shall distribute the 
                        vessel, as an asset of the recipient, to a 
                        person that has been determined exempt from 
                        taxation under the provisions of section 
                        501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or to 
                        the Federal Government or a State or local 
                        government for a public purpose; and
                            (ii) the vessel shall be disposed of by a 
                        court of competent jurisdiction of the county 
                        in which the principal office of the recipient 
                        is located, for such purposes as the court 
                        shall determine, or to such organizations as 
                        the court shall determine are organized 
                        exclusively for public purposes;
            (5) the recipient agrees to hold the Government harmless 
        for any claims arising from exposure to asbestos after 
        conveyance of the vessel, except for claims arising from use by 
        the Government under paragraph (3) or (4); and
            (6) the recipient has available, for use to restore the 
        vessel, in the form of cash, liquid assets, or a written loan 
        commitment, financial resources of at least $100,000.
    (b) Delivery of Vessel.--If a conveyance is made under this Act, 
the Secretary shall deliver the vessel at the place where the vessel is 
located on the date of enactment of this Act, in its present condition, 
without cost to the Government.
    (c) Other Unneeded Equipment.--The Secretary may also convey any 
unneeded equipment from other vessels in the National Defense Reserve 
Fleet in order to restore the USS SPHINX (ARL-24) to museum quality.
    (d) Retention of Vessel in NDRF.--The Secretary shall retain in the 
National Defense Reserve Fleet the vessel authorized to be conveyed 
under subsection (a), until the earlier of--
            (1) 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act; or
            (2) the date of conveyance of the vessel under subsection 
        (a).

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