[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 960 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 960

 To validate certain conveyances in the City of Tulare, Tulare County, 
                  California, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 5, 1997

  Mr. Thomas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To validate certain conveyances in the City of Tulare, Tulare County, 
                  California, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that:
            (1) It is in the Federal Government's interest to 
        facilitate local development of jobs in areas of high 
        unemployment.
            (2) Railroad interests in rights-of-way prevent local 
        communities from obtaining clear title to property for 
        redevelopment unless the city also obtains the Federal 
        reversionary interest in those rights-of-way.
            (3) The City of Tulare Redevelopment Agency requires clear 
        title to 12 parcels of land within the city's business corridor 
        for development.
            (4) The 12 parcels are part of a right-of-way.
            (5) The Agency will be hindered in plans for developing the 
        area or securing needed financing unless the Agency controls 
        all 12 parcels.

SEC. 2. TULARE CONVEYANCE.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and 
subject to subsection (c), the following conveyance is hereby validated 
to the extent that the conveyances would have been legal or valid if 
all right, title, and interest of the United States had been held by 
the Southern Pacific Transportation Company at the time of such 
conveyance:
            (1) Conveyance of parcels from the lands described in 
        subsection (b) made by the Southern Pacific Transportation 
        Company or its subsidiaries, predecessors, successors, agents, 
        or assigns, on or before April 15, 1996.
            (2) Conveyance of parcels from the lands described in 
        paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b) made after April 15, 
        1996, by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, or its 
        successors, agents, or assigns, to the Redevelopment Agency of 
        the city of Tulare.
    (b) Lands Described.--The lands referred to in subsection (a) are 
the lands that--
            (1) formed part of a railroad right-of-way granted to the 
        Southern Pacific Railroad Company, or its successors, agents, 
        or assigns, by the Federal Government (including the right-of-
        way approved by an Act of Congress on July 27, 1866); and
            (2) are located within the boundaries of Amended Urban 
        Renewal Plan for California A-8-1 (the Downtown Plan) adopted 
        by the city of Tulare, California, generally depicted on the 
        map entitled ``Amended Urban Renewal Plan for California A-8-
        1'', dated March 7, 1989.
The map referred to in paragraph (2) shall be on file and available for 
public inspection in the offices of the director of the Bureau of Land 
Management.
    (c) Preservation of Existing Rights of Access.--Nothing in this 
section shall impair any existing rights of access in favor of the 
public or any owner of adjacent lands over, under or across the lands 
which are referred to in subsection (a).
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