[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1508 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1508

To require the transfer of title to the District of Columbia of certain 
   real property in Anacostia Park to facilitate the construction of 
    National Children's Island, a cultural, educational, and family-
                             oriented park.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 7, 1995

  Ms. Norton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Government 
Reform and Oversight, 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.

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the transfer of title to the District of Columbia of certain 
   real property in Anacostia Park to facilitate the construction of 
    National Children's Island, a cultural, educational, and family-
                             oriented park.

    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 ``National Children's Island Act of 
1995''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    For the purposes of this Act, the following terms shall have the 
following meanings:
            (1) ``District'' shall mean the District of Columbia.
            (2) The ``Islands'' shall mean Heritage Island and all of 
        that portion of Kingman Island located south of Benning Road 
        and within the District of Columbia and the Anacostia River, 
        being a portion of United States Reservation 343, Section F, as 
        specified and legally described on the Survey (as defined in 
        paragraph (5) hereof).
            (3) ``National Children's Island'' shall refer to a 
        proposed cultural, educational, and family-oriented recreation 
        park, together with a children's playground available to the 
        public free of charge.
            (4) The ``Secretary'' shall mean the Secretary of the 
        Department of the Interior.
            (5) The ``Survey'' shall refer to the ALTA/ACSM Land Title 
        Survey prepared by Dewberry & Davis and dated February 12, 
        1994.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to transfer fee simple title to the 
Islands to the District to facilitate the construction, development, 
and operation of National Children's Island.

SEC. 4. PROPERTY TRANSFER.

    (a) Transfer of Title.--The Secretary shall, in the name and on 
behalf of the United States of America, no later than 30 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, transfer to the District, without 
compensation, all right, title, and interest of the United States in 
and to the Islands, together with all and singular the improvements, 
ways, easements, rights, privileges, hereditaments, and appurtenances 
belonging thereto, or in any way appertaining thereto, and all the 
estate, right, title, interest, and claim, either to or out of the 
Islands and premises.
    (b) Grant of Easements.--The Secretary shall, in the name and on 
behalf of the United States of America, within 30 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, grant to the District, without compensation, 
permanent easements, which shall be for the use of the District and any 
lessees, sublessees, and/or operator of the Island and their respective 
sublessees, licensees, and invitees, and which shall be assignable by 
the District to any lessee, sublessee, and/or operator of the Islands, 
across the waterways and bed of the Anacostia River as described in the 
Survey as Leased Riverbed Areas A, B, C, and D, and across the 
shoreline of the Anacostia River as depicted on the plat map recorded 
in the Office of the Surveyor of the District as S.O. 92-252 for the 
purposes of--
            (1) constructing, reconstructing, maintaining, operating, 
        and otherwise using such bridges, roads, and other improvements 
        necessary or desirable for vehicular and pedestrian egress and 
        ingress to and from the Islands;
            (2) installing, reinstalling, maintaining, and operating 
        utilities (including, without limitation, all necessary 
        electricity, water, sewer, gas, refuse disposal, and other 
        similar services) and other facilities necessary or desirable 
        for the construction, reconstruction, maintenance, and 
        operation of the Islands and any and all improvements located 
        thereon from time to time; and
            (3) constructing, reconstructing, maintaining, operating, 
        and otherwise providing visitor support services, rest areas, 
        restrooms, shopping, and informational kiosks and the like for 
        the Islands.

SEC. 5. EFFECT OF PROPERTY TRANSFER.

    Upon the transfer of the Islands to the District pursuant to this 
Act:
            (1) The Transfer of Jurisdiction concerning the Islands 
        from the National Park Service to the District dated February 
        1993, as depicted on the plat map recorded in the Office of the 
        Surveyor of the District as S.O. 92-252 and as approved by the 
        Council of the District by Resolution 10-91, shall become null 
        and void and of no further force and effect.
            (2) The Islands shall no longer be considered to be part of 
        Anacostia Park and shall not be considered to be within the 
        park system of the District; therefore, the provisions of 
        District of Columbia Code section 8-104 shall not apply to the 
        Islands, and the District shall have exclusive charge and 
        control over the Islands and easements transferred.
            (3) The Islands shall cease to be property ``of the United 
        States'' for the purposes of title 40, section 68 of the United 
        States Code and of District of Columbia Code, section 8-128.
            (4) The Islands shall not be burdened by the navigational 
        servitude, to the extent that such navigational servitude would 
        otherwise apply.
            (5) All existing permits, licenses, and other encumbrances 
        that may burden the Islands prior to the transfer of title 
        required by this Act shall be extinguished.

SEC. 6. MISCELLANEOUS.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the District is hereby 
authorized to grant to a nongovernmental individual or entity an 
easement, license, sublease, or other right to use the lands currently 
being leased by the United States to the District pursuant to the 
District of Columbia Stadium Act of 1957 (Public Law 85-300, September 
7, 1957, 71 Stat. 619) for parking and other purposes as the Mayor of 
the District in his discretion may determine necessary or appropriate 
in connection with or in support of National Children's Island.
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