[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 11 (Friday, January 26, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CONVEYANCE OF THE WILLIAM LANGER JEWEL BEARING PLANT

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 1544, a bill to authorize 
the conveyance of the William Langer Jewel Bearing Plant to the Job 
Development Authority of the city of Rolla, ND, introduced earlier 
today by Senators Dorgan and Conrad; that the bill be read three times, 
passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with the 
above occurring without intervening action or debate; and that any 
statements relating thereto be placed at the appropriate place in the 
Record as if read.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  So the bill (S. 1544) was deemed read for a third time and passed, as 
follows:

                                S. 1544

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

     SECTION 1. LAND CONVEYANCE, WILLIAM LANGER JEWEL BEARING 
                   PLANT, ROLLA, NORTH DAKOTA.

       (a) Authority To Convey.--The Administrator of General 
     Services may convey, without consideration, to the Job 
     Development Authority of the City of Rolla, North Dakota (in 
     this section referred to as the ``Authority''), all right, 
     title, and interest of the United States in and to a parcel 
     of real property, with improvements thereon, consisting of 
     approximately 9.77 acres and comprising the William Langer 
     Jewel Bearing Plant in Rolla, North Dakota.
       (b) Condition of Conveyance.--The conveyance authorized 
     under subsection (a) shall be subject to the condition that 
     the Authority--
       (1) use the real property and improvements conveyed under 
     that subsection for economic development relating to the 
     jewel bearing plant;
       (2) enter into an agreement with an appropriate public or 
     private entity or person to lease such property and 
     improvements to that entity or person for such economic 
     development; or
       (3) enter into an agreement with an appropriate public or 
     private entity or person to sell such property and 
     improvements to that entity or person for such economic 
     development.
       (c) Preference for Domestic Disposal of Jewel Bearings.--
     (1) In offering to enter into agreements pursuant to any 
     provision of law for the disposal of jewel bearings from the 
     National Defense Stockpile, the President shall give a right 
     of first refusal on all such offers to the Authority or the 
     appropriate public or private entity or person with which the 
     Authority enters into an agreement under subsection (b).
       (2) For the purposes of this subsection, the term 
     ``National Defense Stockpile'' means the stockpile provided 
     for in section 4 of the Strategic and Critical Materials 
     Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C. 98c).
       (d) Availability of Funds for Maintenance of Plant.--
     Notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds available 
     in fiscal year 1995 for the maintenance of the William Langer 
     Jewel Bearing Plant in Public Law 103-335 shall be available 
     for the maintenance of that plant in fiscal year 1996 pending 
     the conveyance of the plant under this section.
       (e) Description of Property.--The exact acreage and legal 
     description of the property conveyed under this section shall 
     be determined by a survey satisfactory to the Administrator. 
     The cost of such survey shall be borne by the Administrator.
       (f) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The Administrator may 
     require such additional terms and conditions in connection 
     with the conveyance under this section as the Administrator 
     determines appropriate to protect the interests of the United 
     States.

  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise in support of a bill that would 
authorize the conveyance of the William Langer Jewel Bearing Plant from 
the General Services Administration to the Job Development Authority of 
the city of Rolla, ND.
  The facility provides substantial employment for an economically 
disadvantaged part of my State. Of the plant's 110 employees, about 60 
percent are Native American. The Turtle Mountain Reservation, local 
businesses, and State officials are all working together to ensure the 
success of the Plant and its growth as a viable enterprise. Residents 
of Rolla have fully embraced the plan to transfer the plant over to the 
local Job Development Authority. Moreover, the Langer plant utilizes 
unique micromanufacturing technology that helped form a critical part 
of our defense industrial base and can be reapplied to the private 
sector. The plant's existing production of dosimeters, used in 
measuring exposure to nuclear radiation, as well as its hopes to 
develop a large scale production of fiber optic cable connectors, known 
as ferrules, will increase its potential to compete in commercial 
markets and meet possible future Federal needs.
  The General Services Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, and 
the Department of Defense all report that no federal agency has 
expressed interest in obtaining the plant. Since local interests cannot 
afford the original cost of $4.2 million, the provisions of this bill 
allow the transfer to occur without consideration to help establish a 
private sector firm that will remain a viable part of the defense 
industrial base. The future of the plant depends on its ability to 
compete as a commercial manufacturer.
  This bill will enable the plant to remain a viable economic 
enterprise as it makes this transition to the private sector. I ask my 
colleagues to support this bill. It relieves the Federal Government of 
the burden of a facility it no longer needs, while aiding a community 
that needs the economic activity created by the facility.

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